Hawaiian Style Pork Hash

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Pork hash is Hawai’i’s take on a classic Chinese steamed dumpling or shumai. So delicious and simple to make in the comforts of your own home.

I mean is there anything better than a fresh steamed piece of pork hash straight from the manapua man himself? But nowadays the manapua man can be hard to find. So why not make it yourself at home.

Minced pork and shrimp blended with your classic Hawaiian and Asian flavors and stuffed into a dumpling wrapper and steamed to perfection. These little bite sized pieces of goodness are quite amazing.

Whether you call it pork hash, shumai, or siu mai, this popular dim sum dish will be sure to please. 

What is pork hash?

Pork hash is Hawai’i’s take on shumai or Chinese steamed dumplings.

Ingredients to make pork hash

• 1/4 pound ground pork
• 1/4 pound shrimp, diced
• 2 tablespoon green onion
• 2 tablespoon water chestnut
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1 tablespoon shoyu
• 2 teaspoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• salt/pepper to taste
• 16 round dumpling wrappers
• shoyu and hot mustard for serving

First let’s talk pork. Traditional Chinese shumai uses blocks of pork that are then minced down. As a full time working mom I find this a little too time consuming and instead, I opt to use ground pork.

Another protein added to the mix is diced shrimp. If you’ve got seafood allergies or just don’t care for shrimp you can replace this will all pork.

Green onions add a subtle flavor a pop of color while the water chestnuts bring the crunch.

Next some cornstarch to thicken and bind the ingredients. Just like we used in the beef and broccoli recipe.

Classic Chinese shumai use Chinese cooking wine. If you have this on hand you can totally use it. I found it a little more difficult to find, so I like to use mirin instead.

Classic local flavors are added to the mix with an egg to help bind it all together.

All of this goodness is then wrapped in dumpling wrappers.

There are square and circle shaped wrappers. The circle wrappers are the more common shape used. If you can only find square shaped wrappers you can totally use those as well.

These dumplings are cooked via a steaming process. I like to use my bamboo steamer baskets to do so, but not to worry you can do this at home without this.

How to steam pork hash without a bamboo steamer?

Don’t feel like you need to go out and buy a bamboo steamer to makes these yummy treats. You can make a steamer with things you have at home.

Take a large pot and place two pieces of foil rolled up in a log in to the bottom of the pot and fill with water. Then place a large ceramic or heat proof plate on the foil and then place the dumplings on the plate. Cover the lid of the pot with a dish towel to soak up the condensation so it does not drip on the pork hash and cover the pot.

How long does it take to steam?

It takes about 15 minutes to steam a batch. Be sure to check the internal temperature of the meat to ensure it is done. This should be at least 165F. If you make larger sized dumplings it may take longer to steam and smaller sizes may take less time.

How to wrap pork hash?

Pork hash are wrapped similar to shumai in that the top of the dumpling remains open compared to it’s Japanese counterpart gyoza, which is sealed shut. See below for step by step instructions and photos. 

What to serve with pork hash?

Pork hash is generally served as an appetizer or in a dim sum (Chinese style of bite sized pieces) fashion. This goes well with a hot mustard shoyu dipping sauce (see recipe below). Serve pork hash alongside beef and broccoli or chow fun.

How to store?

These are best eaten fresh, however if you have leftovers you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

How to reheat?

When ready to reheat you can opt to place back in the steamer and steam to reheat. Or you can place dumplings on a plate with a little water and microwave for 30-45 seconds.

Can you freeze pork hash?

You sure can. Once dumplings have been made and before cooking, place on a baking sheet in the freezer and freeze until solid (a few hours to overnight). Once frozen transfer to a zip top bag or air tight container and this will keep for up to three months.

How to make pork hash?

https://youtu.be/3tgiGi2F0OY

Make the filling: To a large bowl add pork, shrimp, green onion, water chestnut, cornstarch, mirin, shoyu, oyster sauce, garlic, sesame oil, sugar, egg, salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined.

Assemble the pork hash: Take your thumb and index finger and make a circle shape. Lay a single won ton wrapper over you hand.

Place about 1-2 teaspoons of filling on to wrapper.

Gently squeeze your index and pointer finger together beginning to close the circle making pleats along the way at the top of the pork hash. Bring your thumb and index finger all the way together, but do not close off the top of the pork hash.

Use your 4th and 5th finger to stabilize and flatten the bottom of the pork has. Using a knife or back of a spoon gently press down the filling. Be sure filling goes to the top of the wrapper. If there is more space you can add more filling.

While you are filling your wrappers you can start to boil a pot of water.

To steam the pork hash: Place pork hash in your steamer baskets of choice. Place steamer over the boiling water and cover with a lid.

Steam for about 15 minutes or until the center of the pork filling is at 165F.

Serve immediately with a shoyu hot mustard dipping sauce. Sauce can be made by mixing 1 tablespoon shoyu with 1/2 teaspoon of hot mustard powder. If you like it on the spicier side you can add more hot mustard.

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