shumai

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable or uncountable

   a small steamed dumpling with an open top, filled with ground pork or shrimp, served as dim sum.

   Grammar: Same form for singular and plural: a plate of shumai.

   Patterns

   • a plate of shumai
   • steamed shumai

   We shared a basket of shumai at the dim sum restaurant.

   The shumai arrived hot and glistening from the steamer.

   She dipped each shumai in soy sauce and chili oil.

2. 2nouncountable or uncountable

   a similar dumpling in Japanese cooking, often bought frozen or served as a side dish.

   Grammar: Often used for the Japanese version: frozen shumai.

   Patterns

   • frozen shumai
   • shumai with something

   Many lunch boxes in Japan include a few shumai.

   He heated some frozen shumai for dinner.

   The train station kiosk sold shumai with mustard.

Word forms

Common combinations

steamed shumai

Steamed shumai are lighter than fried dumplings.

pork shumai

Pork shumai is a staple at weekend brunch.

shrimp shumai

The shrimp shumai were my favorite.

a basket of shumai

We ordered a basket of shumai for the table.

dim sum

Shumai is one of the best-known dim sum dishes.

Synonyms and how they differ

dumpling

Dumpling is the general term for any dough parcel, while shumai names one specific open-topped style.

siu mai

Siu mai is another romanization of the same Cantonese dish.

shao mai

Shao mai is the Mandarin-based spelling of the same dish.

Word family

dim sum noun

a style of Chinese small plates

dumpling noun

dough wrapped around a filling

gyoza noun

a Japanese pan-fried dumpling

Commonly confused: shumai or shumei?

Practice

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