Dim sum is the name for a Chinese cuisine which involves a wide range of light dishes served alongside Chinese tea. It can include dishes based on meat, seafood, vegetables, as well as desserts and fruit. The various items are usually served in a small steamer basket or on a small plate. Yum cha (literally "tea drinking") is the actual term used to describe the dining session, especially in contemporary Cantonese.
Travellers on the ancient Silk Road needed a place to take a nap, so teahouses were established along the roadside. Rural farmers, exhausted after working hard in the fields, would also go to teahouses for a relaxing afternoon of tea. At first, it was considered inappropriate to combine tea with food, because people believed it would lead to excessive weight gain. People later discovered that tea can aid in digestion, so teahouse owners began adding various snacks and the tradition of dim sum evolved.
In Hong Kong, and most cities and towns in Guangdong province, many Chinese restaurants start serving as early as five in the morning. It is a tradition for the elderly to gather to eat dim sum after morning exercises, often enjoying the morning newspapers. For many southerners in China, yum cha is treated as a weekend family day. Consistent with this tradition, dim sum restaurants typically only serve dim sum until the afternoon (right around the time of a traditional Western 3 o'clock coffee break); other kinds of Cantonese cuisine are served in the evening. Nowadays, various dim sum items are sold as takeaway for students and office workers on the go.
While dim sum remains a staple of Chinese culinary culture, especially in Hong Kong, health officials have recently criticized the high amount of saturated fat and sodium in some dim sum dishes, warning that steamed dim sum should not automatically be assumed to be healthy. Health officials recommend balancing fatty dishes with boiled vegetables, minus sauce.
Travellers on the ancient Silk Road needed a place to take a nap, so teahouses were established along the roadside. Rural farmers, exhausted after working hard in the fields, would also go to teahouses for a relaxing afternoon of tea. At first, it was considered inappropriate to combine tea with food, because people believed it would lead to excessive weight gain. People later discovered that tea can aid in digestion, so teahouse owners began adding various snacks and the tradition of dim sum evolved.
In Hong Kong, and most cities and towns in Guangdong province, many Chinese restaurants start serving as early as five in the morning. It is a tradition for the elderly to gather to eat dim sum after morning exercises, often enjoying the morning newspapers. For many southerners in China, yum cha is treated as a weekend family day. Consistent with this tradition, dim sum restaurants typically only serve dim sum until the afternoon (right around the time of a traditional Western 3 o'clock coffee break); other kinds of Cantonese cuisine are served in the evening. Nowadays, various dim sum items are sold as takeaway for students and office workers on the go.
While dim sum remains a staple of Chinese culinary culture, especially in Hong Kong, health officials have recently criticized the high amount of saturated fat and sodium in some dim sum dishes, warning that steamed dim sum should not automatically be assumed to be healthy. Health officials recommend balancing fatty dishes with boiled vegetables, minus sauce.
Dim sum restaurants have a wide variety of dishes, usually several dozen. Among the standard fare of dim sum are the following:
[edit] Main
Gow ( Dumpling; gau zi, Gow gee; or ji?ozi, Jiaozi): Gow is a standard in most teahouses. They are made of ingredients wrapped in a translucent rice flour or wheat starch skin, and are different to jiaozi found in other parts of China. Though common, steamed rice-flour skins are quite difficult to make. Thus, it is a good demonstration of the chef's artistry to make these translucent dumplings. There are also dumplings with vegetarian ingredients, such as tofu and pickled cabbage.
Shrimp Dumpling (har gau): A delicate steamed dumpling with whole or chopped-up shrimp filling and thin (almost translucent) wheat starch skin.
Chiu-chao style dumplings (chiu-chau fun guo, cháozh?uf?ngu?): A dumpling said to have originated from the Chaozhou prefecture of Guangdong province, it contains peanuts, garlic chives, pork, dried shrimp, Chinese mushrooms in a thick dumpling wrapper made from glutinous rice flour or Tang flour. It is usually served with a small dish of chili oil.
Potsticker (simplified Chinese: traditional Chinese: pinyin: gu?ti?; literally "pot stick") Northern Chinese style of dumpling (steamed and then pan-fried jiaozi), usually with meat and cabbage filling. Note that although potstickers are sometimes served in dim sum restaurants, they are not considered traditional Cantonese dim sum.
Shaomai ( siu maai, sh?omài): Small steamed dumplings with pork inside a thin wheat flour wrapper. Usually topped off with crab roe and mushroom.
Bau ( bau, b?o): Baked or steamed, these fluffy buns are filled with different meats and vegetables.
Char siu baau (, char siu baau, , ch?sh?ob?o): the most popular bun with Cantonese roasted pork and onions inside. It can be either steamed to be fluffy and white or baked with a light sugar glaze to produce a smooth golden-brown crust.
Shanghai steamed buns ( seong hoi siu lung bau, Shàngh?i xi?olóngb?o): These dumplings are filled with meat or seafood and are famous for their flavor and rich broth inside. These dumplings are originally Shanghainese so they are not considered traditional Cantonese dim sum.
Rice noodle rolls or cheong fun ( cheong fan, chángf?n): These are wide rice noodles that are steamed and then rolled. They are often filled with different types of meats or vegetables inside but can be served without any filling. Rice noodle rolls are fried after they are steamed and then sprinkled with sesame seeds. Popular fillings include beef, dough fritter, shrimp, and barbecued pork. Often topped with a sweetened soy sauce.
Phoenix talons ( fung zao, fèngzh?o): These are chicken feet, deep fried, boiled, marinated in a black bean sauce and then steamed. This results in a texture that is light and fluffy (due to the frying), while moist and tender. Fung zau are typically dark red in color. One may also sometimes find plain steamed chicken feet served with a vinegar dipping sauce. This version is known as "White Cloud Phoenix Talons" ( báiyúnfèngzhu?; Cantonese: bak wun fung jau)
Ngau yuk kau ( ngau4 juk6 kau4, usually simplied as niúròuwán): Finely-ground beef is shaped into balls and then steamed and served on top of a thin bean-curd skin.
Spare ribs: In the west, it is mostly known as spare ribs collectively. In the east, it is Char siu when roasted red, or ( paai4 gwat1, páig?) when roasted black.
Lotus leaf rice ( lou mai gai, nuòm?j?): Glutinous rice is wrapped in a lotus leaf into a triangular or rectangular shape. It contains egg yolk, dried scallop, mushroom, water chestnut and meat (usually pork and chicken). These ingredients are steamed with the rice and although the leaf is not eaten, its flavour is infused during the steaming. Lo mai gai is a kind of rice dumpling. A similar but lighter variant is known as "Pearl Chicken" ( jan jyu gai, zh?nzh?j?).
Congee ( zh?u): Rice porridge served with different savory items.
Chien chang go (cin cang gou, qi?ncéngg?o): "Thousand-layer cake", a dim sum dessert made up of many layers of sweet egg dough.
Sou ( sou, s?): A type of flaky pastry filled with char siu, century egg, lotus seed paste, cream, or seafood. Char siu sou cha siu sou, ch?sh?os?) is the most common version at dim sum restaurants.
Taro dumpling (wu gok, yùji?o): This is made with mashed taro, stuffed with diced shiitake mushrooms, shrimp and pork, deep-fried in crispy batter.
Crispy fried squid ( yau yu sou, yóu yú x?): Similar to fried calamari, the battered squid is deep-fried and normally served with a sweet and sour dip. One may also get a variation of this dish prepared with a salt and pepper mix. In some dim sum restaurants, octopus is used instead of squid.
Rolls
Spring roll ( cheun gyun, ch?nju?n): a roll consisting of various types of vegetables — such as sliced carrot, cabbage, mushroom and wood ear fungus — and sometimes meat are rolled inside a thin flour skin and deep fried.
Tofu skin roll ( fu3 pi2 quan1): a roll made of Tofu skin
Cakes
Turnip cake (lo bak go, luóbog?o): cakes are made from mashed daikon radish mixed with bits of dried shrimp and pork sausage that are steamed and then cut into slices and pan-fried.
Taro cake ( yu6 tou2 g?o): cakes made of taro.
Water chestnut cake ( maa tai gow): cakes made of water chestnut. It is mostly see-thru and clear.
Sweets
Egg tart ( dan tat, dàntà): composed of a flaky outer crust with a middle filled with egg custard which is then baked. Some high class restaurants put bird's nest on top of the custard.
Jin deui or Matuan ( ji?ndu? or mátu?n): Especially popular at Chinese New Year, a chewy dough filled with red bean paste, rolled in sesame seeds, and deep fried.
Dou fu fa ( doùf?hu?): A dessert consisting of silky tofu served with a sweet ginger-flavored syrup.
Mango pudding ( mong guo bo din, mánggu?bùd?ng): A sweet, rich mango-flavoured pudding usually with large chunks of fresh mango; served with a topping of condensed milk.
Sweet cream buns ( naai5 wong4 baau1): Steamed buns with milk custard filling.
Malay Steamed Sponge Cake ( ma5 lai1 gou1): A very soft steamed sponge cake flavoured with molasses.