The Chinese term dim sum translates variously as “touch the heart,” “delight the heart,” or similar phrases. All aim to capture the simple fact that this morning or midday Cantonese meal composed of many small dumplings served with tea is one of the most pleasurable ways to start the day with family and friends.
Traditionally, dim sum are enjoyed in a large restaurant with tables spaced far enough apart so servers can steer large carts filled with food back and forth, stopping when guests hail them. Some heated carts carry stacks of small interlocking baskets containing just-cooked morsels of steamed dim sum such as bao, har kow, or siu mai. Others might be devoted to a single specialty still sizzling on a built-in griddle, such as pot stickers. Still others carry shelves displaying individual plates of hot-from-the-kitchen items like sliced char siu, deep-fried wontons or spring rolls, or just-baked dan taat.
How to Order Dim Sum
The procedure for enjoying such a meal to the maximum is simple. First, bring along many family members or friends, because the more people there are, the greater variety of dim sum to enjoy.
Once everyone is assembled and tea has been delivered (along with hot mustard and chili sauce for dipping), just flag the next cart down and ask to see what’s available. The classics mentioned below are a good starting point, but don’t be shy to ask about others. There’ll be some surprises uncommon to Westerners, too, such as braised chicken feet or steamed tripe.
Most baskets or plates contain three or four pieces, so order enough to give each person at the table a taste or two. Then, wait for the next cart and repeat the process until everyone is satisfied.
Some Basic Dim Sum Definitions
Bao. Steamed fist-sized buns of ever-so-slightly sweet, fluffy white, yeast-leavened wheat dough, stuffed with chopped pieces of char siu or with chopped roasted or braised chicken meat, sometimes mixed with mushrooms. Before eating a bao, be sure to peel off the small square of paper that keeps its bottom from sticking to the steamer. Occasionally, baked versions are offered.
Char siu. Slices of Chinese-style barbecued pork.
Cheung fun. Served on small oval dishes covered with metal lids, these are long rolls of soft steamed rice noodle wrapped around a filling of char siu, shrimp, or beef.
Dan taat. A sweet, tender egg custard is baked inside bite-sized, ultra-flakey, rich-tasting, light pastry shells, to make a traditional Chinese dessert surprisingly reminiscent of fine European pastry.
Har kow. Translucent, pleated white noodles made of wheat starch enclose these crescent-shaped steamed dumplings filled with chopped shrimp, pork fat, and bamboo shoots.
Jiao zi. These tiny crescent-shaped steamed or boiled dumplings, a specialty of northern China, have a filling of minced pork, ginger, green onion, shredded cabbage, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
Nor mi gai. Generous fist-sized portions of sticky rice are mixed with delicious tidbits—including bits of sausage and ham, shrimp, chicken, and mushrooms—then wrapped inside individual lotus leaves and steamed in a basket. Gingerly unwrap a hot leaf on the plate and enjoy the tender, steaming mixture, subtly scented with the green essence of the lotus leaf; but don’t eat the leaf!
Pot stickers. Take a basic jiao zi dumpling and, instead of boiling or steaming it, put it in a heavy skillet and cook it first with oil to brown one side; then add water or broth and cover the pan to let the dumplings finish cooking by steaming. The result is a morsel at once crispy and juicy, with the descriptive name of “pot sticker” (despite the fact that the oil actually keeps them from sticking).
Siu mai. Sometimes spelled shao mai, these bite-sized steamed dumplings are generally filled with a minced mixture of shrimp and pork, enclosed in an open drum-shaped noodle wrapper and crowned with tiny carrot dice.
Wonton. Small, square, thin wrappers of wheat flour dough are wrapped around a filling of minced pork, chicken, or shrimp. For dim sum, wonton are usually deep-fried to golden crispness and served with a sweet-and-sour dipping sauce.
Each cart-pusher will usually make a mark on an order form that stays on the table, with columns or rows signifying differently priced dim sum (they’re all amazingly inexpensive). As baskets and dishes are emptied, runners usually clear them away, while the record tally remains on the table, ready to be totted up when the meal is over.
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