About Chinese Dim Sum

Many people have heard of the words Chinese Dim Sum, but do you know what it is? The word "dim sum" is derived from Cantonese language which literally means "dot the heart". It is a meal usually eaten during breakfast, brunch or tea consists of a mix of a variety of Chinese appetizers and snacks in small portions served in small steamer baskets or plates. Dim sum can be baked, deep-fried or steamed.

The classic dim sum meal usually consist of many different buns such as the cha siu bao (BBQ Pork Buns) or lotus bean paste buns, dumplings and rice noodle rolls or cheong fun. Inside these dumplings and noodle rolls are an assortment of beef, chicken, prawns and pork. Two very popular dim sum dumplings are har gaw and siu mai. There are also dishes made to meet a person's vegetarian diet needs. Besides these, you can also find different dishes such as lotus-leaf wrapped sticky rice, congee porridge, chicken feet or pork ribs in black bean sauce, steamed vegetables, chow mein, roasted meats, soups and egg tarts.

Dim sum dining is also called "yam cha" in Cantonese which literally means "drinking tea". This is because of the fact that tea generally accompanies dim sum dishes. A couple of the most common teas that are served in a dim sum restaurant are oolong also called wu lung, Chrysanthemum, and green tea. Another tea which you can find that is normally reputed to help digestion is pu-er, which is a kind of strong tea.

In Chinese custom, the tea is poured to others first, before pouring in your own cup. The recipient can give his/her thanks to the one who pours the tea by tapping his/her index finger several times next to the cup if you are a single or using both the index and middle fingers if you're married. The tapping technique symbolizes bowing to them with thanks. It is done to save time in loud or lively dim sum houses as one might be talking or eating when the host is pouring their tea. To attract the waiter's attention, the gesture is to leave the lid off from the tea-pot.

It is a tradition to get dim sum family style as they come in a small portion of two to four pieces in one basket. Ordering dim sum family style enables every family member to share and enjoy many varieties of food. You may get a couple of plates for each kind of dim sum if one plate is not enough for everyone in the table to have a serving.

In a dim sum restaurant, you can either order from a menu or in some restaurants, dim sum is offered by someone going around the restaurant using a trolley cart. The price of dim sum dishes may vary. There are those that calculate the total by the number and size or even at times by the color of the dishes that are left on the eaters table. There are also restaurants that record the dishes served on a bill at the table. This is a neater method and prevents patrons from stealing or hiding the plates in an attempt to cheat. In some restaurants, to record the amount of sales made by a particular server, each of the servers uses a unique stamp on the bill.

The varieties of dim sum are endless. Some of my favorites are mango pudding, deep fried taro cake, steamed scallop dumpling, fried beancurd rolls with shrimps and stuffed eggplant. Make sure you try them!