Homemade Siomay Wannabe

Why did I even try? Why didn't I just settle with eating Hong Kong style siu mai (fish or pork & shrimp)? Was I mad?

Yes, I think I was a little mad...I wanna blame the heat and being too tired from walking around shopping for a nice strap for my new toy.

But apart from being mad, I really craved Indonesian style siomay, especially siomay Bandung, and attempted to make some, driven by pure desperation.

What's the difference between Indonesian siomay and Hong Kong pork & shrimp siumai you get when you go for dimsums? The Indonesian ones generally don't have chunks of shrimp meat, pork or pork fat, everything kinda blend in together and they're more...fluffy from the jicama or chayote content, plus they are generally topped with shaved carrot instead of fish roe.

How about Indonesian siomay bandung vs Hong Kong fish siumai? They're both made of fish and they're both chewy, but the Indonesian ones have even less fish and garlic flavor, and they are a lot more chewy, especially the ones you get from street vendors, served with peanut sauce, chilli sauce, sweet soy sauce, crispy shallot, and a good squeeze of lime.

Why am I discussing four different kinds of siomay? Which one did I end up trying to make?
Ahem.
I was trying to make siomay bandung, but I think I ended up making regular siomay, but serving them ala siomay Bandung instead...what a frigging disaster.

What happened?
From recent news, I heard that most fish found in Hong Kong major supermarkets are contaminated with something, therefore, I tried to avoid fish altogether. I went with pork and shrimps instead. Since I didn't buy any jicama or chayote, I added grated carrot into the mix in my desperate attempt to make them "fluffy".
I didn't do a thorough research on recipes, and kinda mixing my own stuff, unmeasured :D
Plus, since I didn't buy some wonton wrappers in the morning, I ended up trying to make my own dumpling skin from scratch...silly me.

How was the result?
Actually it wasn't as bad as I expected...the flavors were ok...it was just pretty...dense. Not as fluffy as I wanted them to be, and the skin could really be a lot thinner.

Since they are not a success, I won't share an exact recipe, I'll just describe what went into these siomay wannabes.

The skin:
I mixed all purpose flour, a bit of corn flour and adding water bit by bit until the dough is kneadable. I kneaded the dough until it's no longer sticky and let it rest while I prepared the siomay filling.

The filling:
I mixed half a pound of minced pork, about 10 shrimps, half a carrot (chopped thinly), corn flour, flour, chicken stock powder, fish sauce, 1 clove garlic, 1 small shallot, a pinch of salt, some white pepper, and water. I pulsed them in a food processor until everything is combined, and refrigerated it while I roll the dumpling skin

Rolling dumpling skin:
On a lightly floured surface, I grabbed a small ball of dough (about 1.5-2cm diameter) and roll them thin, I used a rolling pin and didn't bother rolling a perfect circle, anyway they were gonna be folded. I dusted every sheet of dumpling skin with corn flour to prevent them from sticking to each other when stacking them.

Once all skin's rolled, I scooped a tbsp filling and just shaped the siomay using hands, getting them ready for steaming. I steamed the siomay for 30 minutes, and served them ala siomay Bandung...topped with peanut sauce, kecap manis, sambal ABC, crispy shallot, and a squeeze of lemon.

Not too bad...but since they were so dense, we were full only after a serving (about 4) of these.
Ugh...better luck next time! :(