What is the origin and legend of the name of siomai? Why is the skin of siomai dry after steaming?

Nowadays, siomai has become a delicious staple food, so people generally call it "siomai". There is a saying that siomai was originally called chuzibao, but the name was considered indecent. Because its edges resembled ears of wheat that were about to ripen, the name was changed to siomai. Nowadays, siomai has become a delicious staple food, so people generally call it "siomai". In fact, there are other sayings. Let's take a look at the origin and legend of the name siomai.

Contents of this article

1. The origin and legend of the name of Shaomai

2. Why is the skin of siu mai dry after steaming?

3. How to steam siu mai so that the skin is not hard

The origin and legend of the name of Shaomai

Related allusions There are many theories about the origin of the word "Siomai". One theory is that in the early years, siomai were sold in teahouses. Diners drank strong brick tea or various small-leaf teas and ate cakes while eating hot siomai. Therefore, siomai was also called "shaomai", which means "selling with the side". Some people also say that because the edges of siomai are slightly wrinkled like flowers, it is also called "shaomei", which means "beautiful while burning". Another theory is that siomai was originally called "shouzibao", but the name was not elegant. Because its edges looked like ears of wheat that were about to ripen, it was renamed siomai. Nowadays, siomai has become a delicious staple food, so people generally call it "siomai".

As early as the third year of Emperor Qianlong's reign, Wang from Beijingli Village, Fushan County, opened a Fushan Shaomai Restaurant in Xianyukou outside Beijing's Qianmen Gate, and made fried triangles and various famous dishes. On New Year's Eve one year, Emperor Qianlong returned from a private visit to Tongzhou and went to Fushan Shaomai Restaurant to eat Shaomai. The Shaomai here is soft and fragrant, oily but not greasy, white and crystal, like a jade pomegranate. Emperor Qianlong praised it highly after eating it, and after returning to the palace, he wrote the three big characters "Du Yichu" in his own handwriting, and ordered people to make a plaque and send it to Fushan Shaomai Restaurant. Since then, the Shaomai Restaurant has become famous and its value has doubled.

Another theory is about mutton and green onion siu mai. It is said that the real origin of siu mai is in Suiyuan of the Qing Dynasty, which is now the capital of Inner Mongolia - Hohhot. At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, in Dazhao, the old city of Hohhot, there were two brothers who made a living by selling steamed buns. Later, the elder brother got married and his sister-in-law asked for a division of the family. The steamed bun shop belonged to the elder brother and sister-in-law, and the younger brother worked in the shop to make and sell steamed buns. The kind-hearted younger brother had no money except for eating enough. In order to increase his income and marry a wife in the future, the younger brother made some "steamed buns" with thin skin and openings when steaming the buns. He distinguished and sold them separately, and gave the money from selling the buns to his elder brother, and saved the money from selling the buns. Many people liked this bun that didn't look like a bun, and named it "shao mai". Later, the name evolved and spread to the south and was renamed siu mai. Now people in the old city of Hohhot call it Shaomei. In some places in Inner Mongolia (such as Hohhot and its surrounding counties), people eat shaomai with brick tea. Every morning, people gather in groups of three or five in a shaomai restaurant, pour a pot of brick tea, and chat about national news or gossip about family matters.

Why is the skin of siu mai dry after steaming?

1. No hot water is used when kneading the dough: When making steamed bun wrappers, you must use hot water. This method is called scalding the dough. Generally, the higher the temperature of the water added, the softer the dough will be, and the steamed bun wrappers will not easily become hard after being steamed.

2. The flour is not used correctly: When making steamed dumplings, low-gluten flour is generally used. If low-gluten flour is not available, medium-gluten flour can be used. However, if high-gluten flour is used, the steamed dumplings skin will be chewy and hard, and will be dry and hard after steaming, and will not taste good.

How to steam siu mai so that the skin is not hard

1: Cover with wet gauze

When steaming siomai, if you want to make the skin softer, you can cover the surface with a thin layer of wet gauze to make the surface moist without causing excessive moisture to affect the taste. In this way, the skin of the steamed siomai will generally be soft, tender and delicious.

2: Apply oil

When steaming siomai, you can apply a proper amount of oil on the surface. This can prevent the skin of the siomai from being dried out and making the taste hard. If it is fresh meat siomai, there is no need to apply oil. Meat contains a lot of fat. Avoid applying too much oil to make it taste greasy.