Cheung Fun (Cantonese Steamed Rice Noodle Rolls with Shrimp)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 40 min
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 7
About this dish
Cheung fun -- rice noodle rolls -- are a cornerstone of Cantonese dim sum, present on every yum cha table from Hong Kong's tea houses to Guangzhou's morning restaurants.
Read more
A thin batter of rice flour and tapioca starch is poured onto an oiled steel plate, steamed for under a minute, then peeled off as a translucent, trembling sheet. The sheet is rolled around fillings such as shrimp, char siu, or beef, or served plain, its own silky texture being the point. The ratio of rice flour to starch determines everything: too much rice flour and the sheet is stiff; too much starch and it becomes gummy. A lightly sweetened soy sauce is poured over the rolls at the table, pooling in the plate and coating each piece as it is lifted with chopsticks. Street vendors in Hong Kong steam cheung fun on pushcarts, peeling each sheet from a metal drawer with a flat scraper in a motion that draws onlookers. For many dim sum regulars, it is the first dish ordered and the benchmark by which a restaurant is judged.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Prep
Put 120g rice flour and 20g cornstarch in a bowl, then whisk in 320ml water a little at a time.
Scrape the bottom as you mix so no dry pockets or lumps remain.
- 2Heat
Devein 100g shrimp, pat it dry, and chop it into even pieces about 0.5cm wide so it cooks through before the rice sheet overcooks.
- 3Control
Fill the steamer with enough water and bring it to a strong boil over high heat before preparing the tray.
Brush a shallow stainless tray with a very thin film of oil so the sheet releases cleanly.
- 4Season
Stir the batter again right before pouring because the starch settles quickly.
Pour a 2-3mm layer into the oiled tray, tilt to level it, then scatter the seasoned shrimp evenly across the surface.
- 5Control
Set the tray in the vigorously steaming pot and close the lid immediately.
Steam on high heat for about 2 minutes, removing it when the sheet turns translucent, the shrimp looks opaque, and the surface no longer looks wet.
- 6Finish
Loosen the edge with a wide scraper, then roll the sheet firmly from one side while it is still warm and flexible.
Transfer to a plate, mix 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 tsp sesame oil, then drizzle over the rolls.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Stir the batter before every pour to redistribute the settled cornstarch
- Finish cue
- Steam on high heat for about 2 minutes, removing it when the sheet turns translucent, the shrimp looks opaque, and the surface no longer looks wet.
- Avoid this
- Devein 100g shrimp, pat it dry, and chop it into even pieces about 0.5cm wide so it cooks through before the rice sheet overcooks.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
40min, 7 ingredients
Category median
35min, 9 ingredients
Based on 233 recipes
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