Destination
Singapore
The story
Wu gok is one of dim sum's most technically-impressive creations: a mashed-taro shell wraps around a filling of spiced pork, dried shrimp, mushroom and Chinese chives, then is shaped into a small rugby-ball and deep-fried until the outside blooms into a lacy honeycomb-textured golden shell. The bite gives you a crispy shattering crust, a soft pillowy taro layer underneath, and a savoury juicy pork filling at the centre. Served in dim sum baskets at every Cantonese-Singaporean dim sum restaurant (Tim Ho Wan, Yum Cha, Red Star), typically in pairs. Not a home-cook dish — the technique is finicky and requires wheat starch (a specific gluten-free flour that gives the taro shell its magical lace texture) — but a project worth attempting for a special dinner.
Method
Warm oil in a pan. Cook garlic, ginger and dried shrimp 60 seconds. Add pork, break up, brown 6 minutes. Add mushrooms, spring onions, chives, oyster sauce, soy, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, five-spice, white pepper and sugar. Cook 3 minutes. Whisk cornstarch slurry and stir in; cook 60 seconds until glazed and thickened. Cool completely.
Steam the taro chunks in a bamboo steamer 30 to 35 minutes until fork-tender. Mash hot in a large bowl with a potato masher until smooth (should have no visible lumps).
In a small bowl, whisk wheat starch and cornstarch. Pour in 150ml boiling water while stirring — it will form a translucent paste. Add this paste to the hot mashed taro along with the lard, sugar, salt and five-spice. Knead 3 minutes with your hands (careful — hot) until a smooth uniform dough forms.
Divide the dough into 12 balls (about 90g each). Cover with a damp towel to prevent drying.
Working with each ball: flatten between your palms into a disc 10cm wide. Place 1 tbsp of filling in the middle. Gather the dough up around the filling, sealing at the top. Roll gently between your palms into a rugby-ball oval about 8cm long. Repeat.
Rest the shaped wu gok in the fridge 20 minutes to firm up. This prevents them from bursting in the fryer.
Warm the oil in a deep heavy pot to 170C. This exact temperature matters — a thermometer is essential.
Fry 3 or 4 wu gok at a time for 4 minutes on the first side (the shell should start blooming into lace within 30 seconds — you'll see the outside begin to bubble outward), then flip and fry another 3 minutes. Drain on a wire rack. Serve immediately in dim sum baskets with chili oil, chili slices and coriander.
Tips
- Wheat starch is essential. Also called "tang mien fun" — sold at any Chinese grocer. This gluten-free flour is what gives the taro shell its magical lace texture. Cornstarch alone doesn't work.
- Hot mashing. The taro must be mashed while still hot from the steamer for the dough to come together properly. Cold mash won't accept the wheat starch paste.
- 170C oil exactly. A thermometer is essential. Cooler and no lace; hotter and burnt before bloom.
- Chill before frying. The 20-minute chill firms up the shell so it doesn't burst in the oil.
- Serve immediately. The lace shell softens within 10 minutes. Fry to order.
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