A guide to Dim Sum culture and what good Dim Sum should look and taste like.
The two most popular dim sum dishes are har gao and siu mai. These phrases are synonymous with dim sum and tea houses. The reason for people knowing these the most is that the two are often paired together. In the traditional dim sum houses of old, people would stack the hot dim sum bamboo steamers filled with har gao and siu mai and push the steam cart around the tables. The server would then call out the items in the cart, yelling har gao, siu mai so that people would know what was there without having to ask. When the server is stopped, she would then uncover the lid of the steamer at the top of the stack to reveal the hot dumplings inside. Indeed, eating with our eyes spans seems to be a behavior that spans every culture.Unless the dish is served cold, all dim sum is best eaten when piping hot - to the point that it's almost hot enough to burn your mouth. The flavors are most intense and the texture is best when hot, especially for deep-fried items since they're crispier that way.
Dim sum is also known as 'drink tea.' The Cantonese words for going out to eat dim sum is literally translated into drink tea. Tea accompanies the meal as with all Chinese meals, but dim sum meals offer a choice of tea which is not typically the case when eating a regular meal. Hence, tradition has allowed tea houses to charge for tea for each person present; the charge typically ranges from $1 to $3. Grand openings and new competition opening nearby often present an opportunity for customers to have the tea charge waived as a method to attract new customers to the establishment.
Dim sum culture has changed in modern times. First, you'll find that while the basic business model was simpler in the old days (small, medium, and large dishes plus tea), new marketing methods have come up with terms like extra large, special, and kitchen, all of which command a higher price. These deluxe offerings include items that are non-traditional, in the sense that they are mostly served as an entree. Suckling Pig, Gai Lan with Oyster Sauce, and Walnut Prawns are frequently featured as specialty items.
The actual distribution of the food has also changed. While women would roll large steam carts containing bamboo or metal steamers around a room, now you see two other variations of this. A smaller amount of steamers is transported on a cafeteria style tray. Not only is this more fresh since they don't sit in a cart for as long, but it's great to maximize the space of your dining area since you no longer need to make room for a cart. For fried items, you'll see each one plated and covered with a plastic cover to keep it warm and serve as a guard from the server calling out the food item. Interestingly, for desserts, you still see them open without any cover. Lastly, many restaurants now give you a menu with a carbon copy. You mark the menu with the quantity you desire, and one copy stays at your table while the other copy either goes to the kitchen or to the computer. You'll also see a combination of these methods too.
- Har Gao/Shrimp Dumpling
A good shrimp dumpling has a thin outer wrapper that comes out translucent when steamed. The wrapper should have a texture that remains intact even after steaming and is just softer than al dente. The shrimp is fresh and the translucent wrapper allows the orange color of the shrimp to be detected. Inside, the filling has a combination of whole or chopped fresh shrimp mixed with a very small amount of bamboo shoot to add a little crunch when you bite into the shrimp dumpling. Typically, you'll see four or five served together. In Hong Kong, the portion of each dumpling tends to be smaller.
- Siu Mai/ Pork Dumpling
- Steamed Spareribs/Spareribs with Black Bean Sauce
Dessert
- Deep Fried Sesame Balls
