About Chinese Dim Sum - By: Jamie Hanson

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 combination of a variety of Chinese appetizers and snacks in small portions served in small steamer baskets or plates. Dim sum can be deep fried, steamed or baked.

The classic dim sum meal usually comprise of various 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 chicken, pork, prawn and beef. Two very popular dim sum dumplings are siu mai and har gaw. There are also dishes made to meet a person's vegetarian diet needs. Other than these, you will also find other dishes such as lotus-leaf wrapped sticky rice, congee porridge, pork ribs or chicken feet in black bean sauce, steamed green vegetables, chow mein, roasted meats, soups and egg tarts.

Dim sum dining, also known as "yam cha", basically means "drinking tea". This is due to the fact that tea usually 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. One more tea which you can find which is normally reputed to help digestion is called pu-erh, which is a type of strong tea.

In Chinese custom, the tea is poured to others first, before pouring in your own cup. The recipient may say thank you to the person 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 middle and index 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 server is serving their tea. Another gesture used in a dim sum restaurant, which is used to get the waiter's attention, is to leave the lid off of the 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 2 to 3 baskets for each kind of dish if one plate is not enough for everyone in the table to have a serving.

In a dim sum restaurant, you can either order off a menu or in some places, dim sum is served by a server going around the restaurant in a trolley cart. The price of dim sum dishes may vary. There are restaurants 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 tidier method and prevents patrons from stealing or hiding the plates in an attempt to cheat. In some of these places, servers will use a unique stamp to make sure the numbers of sales made through him/her are recorded correctly.

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

About the Author

For a large selection of Chinese recipes and Chinese dim sum recipes, visit ChineseFood-Recipes.com.

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