With Executive sous chef Tống Đăng Khoái of Mövenpick Hotel's O Macanese Restaurant
This dish is an elegant masterpiece in which the subtle, natural flavour of fresh grouper meets the earthy luxury of black truffle paste. Wrapped in a delicate, translucent skin and enriched with nutritious kale, each bite delivers an unforgettable contrast of textures and a rich, umami-forward aroma that redefines the classic Cantonese dumpling.

Executive sous chef Tống Đăng Khoái of Mövenpick Hotel's O Macanese Restaurant. Photos courtesy of Mövenpick Hotel
INGREDIENTS
For the filling
170g grouper fillet (from a 340g whole fish)
5g salt
25g cassava starch
5g chicken powder
5g sugar
2g white pepper
50g chicken fat
5g shallots
10g onion
5g scallions
10ml sunflower oil
5g truffle paste
50g water chestnut
For the wrapper
300g cassava starch
200g wheat starch
50g Pilot butter
500ml water

Grouper dumpling
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare the filling
Finely mince the fresh grouper fillet and combine it with salt, rubbing and stirring vigorously in one direction until the fish paste becomes springy and sticky. Add the chicken powder, sugar, white pepper, and cassava starch, and mix thoroughly.
Gently fold in the finely diced water chestnuts, minced onion, shallots, spring onions, sunflower oil, melted chicken fat and the luxurious black truffle paste. Mix until fully incorporated and chill the mixture in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to firm up.
Make the wrapper
In a heatproof bowl, combine the wheat starch and cassava starch. Bring the water to a rolling boil and pour it immediately into the starch mixture, stirring rapidly with chopsticks.
Cover the dough and let it rest for 5 minutes. Knead the dough while it is still warm, incorporating the lard until the mixture becomes smooth, pliable and translucent.
Divide the dough into small portions (about 40g each) and roll them out into thin, circular wrappers.
Assemble and steam
Wash all the salad greens thoroughly and drain them well. Tear the larger lettuce leaves into bite-sized pieces. Blanch the snow peas in boiling water until tender, then refresh in ice water. Slice them on a diagonal or leave whole.
Peel the soy-marinated egg and dice it.
Prepare the remaining vegetables: wash the red radish thoroughly. Using a sharp knife, slice the radish into paper-thin translucent rounds. Keep it chilled in ice water to maintain crispness, then pat dry before plating.
To serve, place a crisp slice of red radish flat at the bottom of the glass to serve as a vibrant base. Gently transfer the hot, freshly steamed black grouper dumplings into the bowl, resting them gracefully on top of the radish slice.
Grouper dumpling is part of O Macanese restaurant’s Summer in Plum menu, at 83A Lý Thường Kiệt St, Hà Nội.
Available until 30 September 2026. For reservation and inquiries, please dial +84 24 3822 2800
VNS