How to Make Pork and Shrimp Siu Mai

Dumplings are a classic thing in dim sum lore. They’re just parcels of dough that hold a filling, but they’re so much more than that,” explains Chef Rodelio Aglibot, aka the Food Buddha and proprietor of the Yum Cha restaurant in Chicago.

“The words ‘yum cha’ literally mean ‘to drink tea,’ but it’s more often asked as a question between friends in the middle of the day. It’s said with the inflection of a question. ‘Yum cha? Do you want to go hang out?’”

Aglibot recently shared his dim sum know-how at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, where the National Pork Board held its annual Pork Summit. He demonstrated his technique for pork dumplings, savory little bundles of fresh-ground pork spiked with ginger and swaddled in the warmest, softest blanket of dough.