har gow
{{Short description|Cantonese food}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Har gow
| image = Steamed prawn dumplings.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| caption = Ha gow in a bamboo steamer
| alternate_name = Xia jiao, also spelled ha gau, ha gaau, ha gao, ha gow, or other variants, Vietnamese "há cảo"
| region = Cantonese-speaking region
| creator =
| course = Dim sum
| served =
| main_ingredient = Wheat starch, tapioca starch, shrimp, cooked pork fat, bamboo shoots, scallions, cornstarch, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, and other seasonings
| variations =
| calories =
| other =
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
|t={{linktext|蝦餃}}
|s={{linktext|虾饺}}
|l=shrimp dumpling
|p=xiājiǎo
|mi={{IPAc-cmn|x|ia|1|j|iao|3}}
|j=haa¹ gaau²
|y=hā gáau
|poj=hê-kiáu
hoê-kiáu
|showflag=jyp
|tha= ฮะเก๋า {{IPA|th|háʔ.kǎw|}}
|rtgs=hakao
|vie=há cảo}}
Har gow ({{lang-zh|c=蝦餃|p=xiājiǎo|j=haa1 gaau2|l=shrimp jiao}}), also anglicized as ha gow, hau kau, or ha kao, is a traditional Cantonese dumpling served as dim sum.Hsiung, Deh-Ta. Simonds, Nina. Lowe, Jason. [2005] (2005). The food of China: a journey for food lovers. Bay Books. {{ISBN|978-0-681-02584-4}}. p41. It is made of shrimp meat, and steamed in a flour wrapper. After cooking, the wrapper becomes somewhat translucent, and therefore ha gow is sometimes called crystal shrimp dumplings (水晶蝦餃).
Name
The dumpling is sometimes called a shrimp bonnet for its pleated shape. This dish is often served together with shumai; when served in such a manner the two items are collectively referred to as ha gow-siu mai ({{lang-zh|t=蝦餃燒賣|p=xiājiǎo shāomài|cy=hā gáau sīu máai|first=cy||j=haa1 gaau2 siu1 maai2}}).Big5.China.com.cn. "[http://big5.china.com.cn/city/zhuanti/gdx08/2008-11/04/content_16708259.htm China.com.cn]." 廣州茶飲. Retrieved on 2009-03-17.Yahoo.com. "[http://hk.where.yahoo.com/a/article.html?id=6186 Yahoo.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080404194146/http://hk.where.yahoo.com/a/article.html?id=6186 |date=2008-04-04 }}." 街坊盅頭飯. Retrieved on 2009-03-15.
Ha gow, shumai, cha siu bao, and egg tarts are considered the classic dishes of Cantonese dim sum cuisine and referred to as The Four Heavenly Kings. ({{lang-zh|c=四大天王|p=sì dà tiān wáng|cy=sei daaih tīn wòhng|links=no}}).{{Cite web|last=Yap|first=Victoria|date=2020-02-05|title=Dim Sum, a Beginner's Guide to the Cantonese Cuisine|url=https://www.honestfoodtalks.com/dim-sum-guide-yum-cha/|access-date=2020-10-30|website=Honest Food Talks|language=en-GB}}{{Cite web|title=广州早茶"四大天王"有哪些？|trans-title=What are the “Four Heavenly Kings” of Guangzhou morning tea (dim sum)?|url=http://www.sohu.com/a/161327339_99937685|access-date=2020-10-30|website=Sohu|language=zh}}
Description
{{unreferenced section|date=December 2024}}
These shrimp dumplings are transparent and smooth. Yi Zhen restaurant (怡珍茶楼) in Wufeng Village (五鳳村), Guangzhou was the first restaurant to serve Har Gow.{{Cite web |title=读懂广州 走进凤阳之五丨老广钟爱的虾饺，发源地就在五凤村！ |url=https://haizhu.wsqejt.com/content/2022-04/02/content_187519.html |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=haizhu.wsqejt.com}}{{Cite web |title=虾饺之"雪白""嫣红"大比拼_深圳新闻网 |url=https://www.sznews.com/eating/content/2020-10/09/content_23619387.htm |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=www.sznews.com}} It was called Wufeng Har Gow (五鳳鮮蝦餃) at that time. In a poem by Ho Shihuang (何世晃), a well-known Cantonese cook and author of "Classic Cantonese Pastry Techniques" (經典粵點技法),{{Cite book |last=何 |first=世晃 |title=经典粤点技法 |publisher=广东科技出版社 |year=2018 |isbn=9787535970107}} har gow is described as follows:{{Cite web |title=一盅两件叹世界 人间至味是清欢 - 广州市人民政府门户网站 |url=https://www.gz.gov.cn/zlgz/whgz/content/post_8576851.html |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=www.gz.gov.cn}}
{{Cquote
| quote = 倒扇羅幃蟬透衣，嫣紅淺笑半含痴；
細嚐頓感流香液，不枉嶺南獨一枝。
}}
English translation:
{{Cquote
| quote = Fanned silk gauze, a cicada peeking through. A rosy smile, half-dazed and true.
A delicate taste, the fragrance flows. The unique flower of Lingnan in full repose.
}}
The poem shows that nice and juicy filling inside a thin, soft and translucent wrapping are the essentials of an authentic har gow.
This dish is said to be the one that the skill of a dim sum chef is judged on. Traditionally, ha gow should have at least seven and preferably ten or more pleats imprinted on its wrapper. The skin must be thin and translucent, yet be sturdy enough not to break when picked up with chopsticks. It must not stick to the paper, container or the other ha gow in the basket. The shrimp must be cooked well, but not overcooked. The amount of meat should be generous, yet not so much that it cannot be eaten in one bite.
File:Xia jiao a un restaurant japonés de Xàbia.jpg
File:03 Har Gau Shrimp Dumplings - East Harbor Seafood Palace.jpg
File:3 pieces of har gow at Plum Blossom Room 20230125.jpg
File:Food 晶瑩鮮蝦餃, 添好運, Timhowan, 台北 (22266191364).jpg
File:Not be cook Shrimp Dumplings at Chinese Cottage Tea House.jpg|Before steaming
File:Har gow served at a Chinese restaurant in the Sunset District of SF.jpg|Har gow (bottom left) served at a Chinese restaurant in the Sunset District of San Francisco
See also
{{Commons category|Har gow}}