Cheung Fun (Cantonese Steamed Rice Noodle Rolls with Shrimp)
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. 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 - 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.
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Instructions
- 1
Whisk rice flour, cornstarch, and water into a thin batter.
- 2
Chop shrimp into small pieces.
- 3
Pour a thin layer of batter into a shallow tray and scatter shrimp.
- 4
Steam over high heat for about 2 minutes until translucent.
- 5
Roll the sheet with a scraper and drizzle soy-sugar-sesame sauce before serving.
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