Crystal shrimp dumplings are one of the “Big Fours" in the Cantonese Dim Sum world (including crystal shrimp dumplings, dry steamed shumai, cha siu buns, and egg tarts read more here).

The dumpling has "crystal" in the name because it has a pretty translucent look after being cooked. It looks like a crystal compared to the traditional Chinese Northern region dumplings, which are made of wheat flour skin.

Crystal dumplings are in demand at our farmers market locations, often by customers who are sensitive to the wheat gluten products. Comparing to the Northern region wheat flour dumplings, there is some challenge to form crystal dumpling dough and make the wrappers. During this session, instructor Susan Qin of Chinese Street Market will share some tips with you so you can make your own crystal dumplings at home. We will also incorporate vegetables like cauliflowers and sweet peas which will be harvested in June into the dumpling fillings. We will make both a version with shrimp and a vegan version featuring cauliflower and sweet peas.

About the Instructor:

Susan Qin is the founder and cultural curator of Chinese Street Market DC, a collaborative platform that showcases Chinese culture through traditional, regional Chinese food recipes, and works to build a community of local Asian talent and creators.

Susan was born and raised in Chengdu, Sichuan. Her family belongs to the Buoyi minority group in China. While receiving her education at a foreign-language boarding school, she also developed a passion for Ancient Chinese Literature at a young age. The ancient Chinese culture and philosophy so elegantly expressed in her books were a formative inspiration. Eventually, Susan moved to the U.S. as a teenager and has spent her adult life in New York City and Washington, D.C., earning a degree in Economics and building a professional career in the financial services industry.

Susan’s unique experiences growing up with both Eastern and Western cultural experiences expanded her worldview, and she often found herself acting as a cultural ambassador, de-mystifying aspects of Chinese culture for friends and acquaintances. This led Susan to build a community for people to share their Chinese culture with anyone who has a passion for learning more, with food as a lens for connection. Today, the Chinese Street Market DC can be found at Farmer’s Markets throughout the DC area and hosting educational cultural events. The food she serves often incorporates produce from her fellow farmers market vendors, which allows CSMDC to root diasporic food stories in freshness, sustainability, and the Mid-Atlantic food system. She is known at the local farmers markets as the Senior Dumpling Consultant.

About Chinese Street Market:

The Chinese Street Market DC community is a place to share your nostalgic food memories or pursue your cultural passion. We strive to serve as trustworthy connectors for food and culture, removing language barriers for better cultural understanding.

The DC area is rich with a multi-generational East Asian diaspora, and starting with Chinese sub-cultures, we work to introduce all East Asian food makers to a larger audience. Our goal is to help tell their stories within the context of their traditions and traditional multi-generational recipes. We do this by showcasing their stories on our online platform and offline through food popups and events.

The inaugural street market, held in September 2019, was a special event that drew over 3,000 visitors to Downtown DC in just one afternoon. In 2021, Chinese Street Market DC was voted by Washington City Paper’ Best of DC poll as the runner-up for Best-At-Home-Meals, coming in just after a Michelin rated restaurant. Today, you can enjoy this unique culture experience by joining our online community or through our in-person popups at local farmers markets and special events. Join us in learning, connecting, sharing, and preserving this culture experience and community.

COVID-19 Policy:

Guests to this event are encouraged to be vaccinated. Unvaccinated guests must bring a COVID-19 rapid test and test on-site prior to entering the farm OR bring a negative PCR test from the last 24 hours when test was taken. Vaccinated guests may show their vaccine card, a photo, or their online registry. We reserve the right to make changes to this policy based on the changing situation with COVID-19.

Code of Conduct: As a participant of this course you agree to follow the Common Good City Farm participant Code of Conduct.

Note about Sliding Scale Ticket Pricing:

A sliding fee scale is a tool for building economic justice, and it requires your active participation. If a sliding scale is implemented effectively, everyone pays a similar percentage of their income for the same products or services. A wide range of payment options across the scale promotes broader accessibility, while insuring fair compensation to the producer. Paying according to one’s available resources creates a more equitable system for pricing of products and services.

Sliding scales are often based on individual income levels, with people of higher incomes paying more. However, many factors complicate and affect our financial status. Some groups of people have costs that the larger population does not. Others have access to resources that are not always reflected in their lifestyle choices and income levels. Please consider both your class background and earning power when choosing your payment level.

Consider paying less on the scale if you..

are supporting children or have other dependents
have significant debt
have medical expenses not covered by insurance
are eligible for public assistance
have immigration-related expenses
are an elder with limited financial support
are an unpaid community organizer
are a returning citizen who has been denied work due to incarceration history
experience discrimination in hiring or pay level
are descended from enslaved people or Native American Indians

Consider paying more on the scale if you:

own the home you live in
have investments, retirement accounts, or inherited money
travel for recreation
have access to family money and resources in times of need
work part time or are unemployed by choice, including unemployment due to full-time school in a degree-earning program
have a relatively high degree of earning power due to level of education (or gender and racial privilege, class background, etc.) Even if you are not currently exercising your earning power, we ask you to recognize this as a choice.

Acknowledgement: This language about sliding scale pricing is adapted from Little Red Bird Botanicals: http://www.littleredbirdbotanicals.com/consultation-fees/.

Contact the host of Crystal Shrimp Dumplings Workshop

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