Home-styleMedium 85 min serves 4

Three Delicacies Dumplings (San Xian Jiao)

Name: Three Delicacies Dumplings (San Xian Jiao)
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Home-style Chinese
Ingredients: round dumpling wrappers; raw shrimp, peeled and chopped; large eggs; dried wood ear mushrooms, soaked; ground pork; napa cabbage, finely diced and salted; scallions, finely sliced; fresh ginger, minced; light soy sauce; toasted sesame oil; white pepper; fine sea salt

三鲜饺 · sān xiān jiǎo

家庭快手版 · Home version: Home versions build the filling from shrimp, scrambled egg and wood ear with a little pork to hold it. Shandong banquet versions use sea cucumber, scallop and shrimp — genuinely three delicacies, and genuinely restaurant food; the home version is the one people actually make on a Sunday.

San xian means three delicacies and it is the most argued-about filling in China, because every region claims a different three. The Shandong home version — shrimp, egg, wood ear — is the one that travelled, and it works because the three do three different jobs: shrimp gives sweetness, egg gives body, wood ear gives a snap that survives the boiling water. Leave any one out and the filling goes flat.

Recipe author: HǎoWèi Test Kitchen

Home-cooking research team

Reviewed by HǎoWèi editorial team · Last updated 2026-08-29

More pork recipes →More egg recipes →More dumplings & buns →Seafood

Ingredients

round dumpling wrappers饺子皮🏮 asian500 g
raw shrimp, peeled and chopped鲜虾仁（剁粒）🛒 local200 g
large eggs鸡蛋🛒 local150 g
dried wood ear mushrooms, soaked干木耳（泡发）🏮 asian20 g dried
ground pork猪肉末🛒 local150 g
napa cabbage, finely diced and salted大白菜（切细丁盐渍）🛒 local200 g
scallions, finely sliced小葱（切细）🛒 local40 g
fresh ginger, minced生姜（切末）🛒 local12 g
light soy sauce生抽🏮 asian20 ml
toasted sesame oil香油🏮 asian20 ml
white pepper白胡椒粉🏮 asian3 g
fine sea salt细海盐🛒 local6 g

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Instructions

1Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and scramble over medium heat until soft and just set, then break into small curds and cool completely.
炒蛋碎
🔍 Look for Medium heat 4 分钟 · 4 minutes
Visual: 蛋碎柔软淡黄，无焦色，盘中也不渗水Curd pieces are soft pale yellow with no browning and no liquid weeping onto the plate
You know it's right when: They look slightly underdone in the pan and finish setting as they cool
2Soak the wood ear 25 minutes, trim, shred finely and squeeze dry. Dice the napa cabbage, toss with 1 tsp salt, rest 10 minutes and squeeze hard.
处理木耳白菜
🔍 Look for 35 分钟 · 35 minutes
Visual: 木耳透亮细如丝；白菜收缩到三分之一体积，色泽变暗、呈湿哑光Wood ear is glossy and shred-thin; the cabbage has collapsed to a third of its volume and looks dull and wet-matte
You know it's right when: A handful squeezed over the sink gives a steady stream, then stops
3Stir pork with soy sauce, ginger and white pepper in one direction 2 minutes until sticky, then fold in shrimp, egg, wood ear, cabbage and scallions. Finish with sesame oil. Chill 20 minutes.
拌馅冷藏
🔍 Look for 8分钟 + 冷藏20分钟 · 8 minutes + 20 minutes chilling
Visual: 馅料粉、黄、黑、白四色斑驳，攥紧能成团，碗底没有汁水Filling is a speckled mix of pink, yellow, black and white that holds together when squeezed, with no liquid in the bowl
You know it's right when: 倾斜碗时没有汁水往低处流Tilt the bowl and nothing runs to the low side
4Place 1 tbsp filling in each wrapper, wet the edge, fold and pleat closed. Keep them covered with a damp cloth while you work.
包饺子
🔍 Look for 20 分钟 · 20 minutes
Visual: 饺子饱满、能平底坐稳，背部褶皱成弧形，收口处无馅外露Dumplings are plump, sit flat and have a pleated curved back with no filling at the seam
You know it's right when: The pleats stay raised after the dumpling is set down
5Boil in batches over high heat. Once they float, add a cup of cold water; when it returns to the boil, cook 2 minutes more and lift out.
煮饺子
🔍 Look for High heat 每批6-8分钟 · 6-8 minutes per batch
Visual: 面皮油亮微透，饺子饱满浮起而不是沉实Wrappers are glossy and slightly translucent, and the dumplings look swollen and buoyant rather than dense
You know it's right when: Cut one open and steam escapes; the shrimp is opaque and the egg still yellow

Tips

· Salt and squeeze the cabbage properly. It is mostly water and it will flood the filling otherwise.
· Cool the scrambled egg before mixing — hot egg cooks the shrimp and the filling goes grainy.
· Wood ear is not optional; it is the crunch that survives boiling that cabbage loses.

Sources & references

Quantities, technique notes, and substitution ratios are cross-checked against established Chinese cookery references and standard food-science sources.

Read our editorial policy
Fuchsia Dunlop, Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking
USDA FoodData Central — ingredient nutrition and portion data
Traditional Chinese family-kitchen practice and regional taste records

Common questions

Can I reduce the salt/soy in this recipe?

Yes — soy sauce is the main sodium source. Use light soy at 2/3 amount and finish with salt only to taste. Rinse canned/doubanjiang components if possible. Note: reducing soy also reduces color; a drop of dark soy or a pinch of sugar can restore depth without salt.

Source: HǎoWèi diet guide

Is there a vegan substitute for oyster sauce?

Yes — 'mushroom oyster sauce' (often labeled vegetarian/vegan) is sold in most Asian grocers and increasingly in mainstream supermarkets. It behaves 1:1 and adds the same glossy umami. Watch labels if you're also gluten-free; most brands are GF, some aren't.

Source: HǎoWèi substitution engine

What's the difference between light and dark soy sauce?

Light soy (生抽) is the everyday salty seasoning — thin and salty, used in most recipes. Dark soy (老抽) is thicker, darker, slightly sweet, and used mostly for color (braises, fried rice). If you only buy one, get light soy. For dark soy's color: 1 tbsp light soy + a pinch of sugar + a few drops of molasses.

Source: HǎoWèi pantry guide