| What is Dim Sum? |
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| Saturday, 10 January 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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If you’re a regular World Foodie Guide reader or a personal acquaintance of mine, then you’ll know that I love to eat dim sum! I go whenever I can, and if an excuse is required, then I’ll invent one in the name of research. In early May, I’m going to write about Where to Eat Dim Sum in London, so from now on, I will just have to try a few more restaurants… As my parents are originally from Hong Kong, I grew up on my mother and grandmother’s cooking, as well on the Cantonese food that we served in our restaurants in Germany. I’ve also been eating at dim sum restaurants since I was about three (when I was known as the har gau princess), so I’ve had some time to hone my taste buds where dim sum is concerned. Incidentally, it’s really rare for Chinese people to prepare a dim sum meal at home, because it would take far too long and each dish is quite complicated and time-consuming to make. People also like the idea of specialist dim sum chefs making their dim sum, and going for dim sum is a means of socialising with friends and family, particularly at the weekends. Living in London, I now go regularly to several restaurants (Yauatcha, Shanghai Blues, Imperial China and Pearl Liang), and I’ve written about How To Eat Dim Sum and What Dim Sum To Order. But you might like to find out more about the origins and traditions of dim sum.
Where does dim sum come from?: What kinds of dishes are available?:
The classics - har gau (steamed prawn dumpling), char siu bau (steamed roast pork bun), spare ribs in black bean sauce, cheung fun (rice noodle rolls with fillings such as roast pork, prawn and beef) and so on - are continually adapted using new ingredients and combinations to create ever more exciting flavours and unique presentation styles. Vegetarian dim sum are unfortunately still a rarity, as most dishes are prepared with prawn, pork, beef and other seafood. Vegetable steamed dumplings and spring rolls are about as much as you will find in a dim sum restaurant, and they are not that tasty either. Perhaps it is the pork-based lard used in standard dim sum that makes it so delicious! I always find it hard going for dim sum with my husband, who is vegetarian and who usually has to settle for vegetarian dishes on the main menu. Sweet dim sum are also popular on any menu, although I’m not so familiar with these, because I’m always too full from eating the savoury dim sum to manage the sweet varieties. But I’ll always leave room for at least one dan taat (egg custard tart).
When is dim sum served? Dim sum is most popular at the weekends, especially Sundays, when entire families or groups of friends can get together. It’s a very social event, with much emphasis on sharing food and pouring tea for each other. Dim sum restaurants can also be deafeningly loud, but that’s all part of the atmosphere. In England, there are now modern dim sum restaurants that serve it in the evening as well, but I’m a traditionalist - I don’t eat dim sum after lunch!
Drinking Chinese tea with dim sum: I know very little about the types of Chinese tea, except that we drink tea with dim sum because it supposedly helps with the digestion of oily foods. Incidentally, Hong Kong health officials have warned that dim sum contains high amounts of saturated fats (plenty of lard is used in the wrappers and pastries) and salt, so it’s best eaten in moderation. Tea is usually charged per person, but some restaurants charge per pot. Refills are usually free, but modern dim sum restaurants may charge for an extra pot (even though they might have just added some water to the original tea leaves!) Tea rituals: This is said to originate from the olden days when a Chinese emperor went incognito amongst his people to see how they were living. When he had to serve one of his servants food, in order to appear like an ordinary person, the servant was really shaken by this, but could only demonstrate his obeisance by using his knuckles (rather than kneeling or prostrating himself in front of his emperor). When the teapot requires topping up with hot water, simply remove the lid and place it balanced on the edge of the pot, resting against the handle. This is a universally recognised sign in dim sum restaurants and the waiter will top it up for you. Another thing Chinese people do is to rinse their bowls, plates, Chinese spoons and chopsticks with hot tea, even if these aren’t noticeably dirty. It’s a ‘hygiene’ ritual and forms part of the dim sum meal. I think these days though, it’s mostly the older generation that do it, but I simply ask for replacements if I find that anything is dirty.
Ordering dim sum: Let me know about your dim sum experiences, and what your favourite dim sum are!
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