Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

Hey guys

I know a bit about Cantonese food. I know the most about Hong Kong/Guangzhou style traditional food, and a bit about Chiuchow and Hokkien (Fujianese) food but not much.

Anyone interested? I plan to post a bit about the different kinds of dim sums. Then I could post about the ways of making food (such as steaming fresh fish or double-boiled soup)

One advantage of this food is that it tastes good, so that gourmets will like it. I can start off with barbecued pork buns (cha xiu bao). Tell me if this topic interests you!

Barbecued pork buns

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cha_siu_baau

This consists of a bun made of dough, with a filling of barbecued pork (I'll write another entry about barbecued pork later, as it deserves its own section).

A good bun has the following characteristics:

The bun must be soft. A hard bun indicates staleness and is unpleasant to the palate. A soft bun is easy to chew.

The bun must not be excessively moist or dry. Excessive moisture causes dough to stick to the roof of the mouth. Insufficient moisture makes it a struggle to chew.

The bun must be hot. These should be eaten as soon as they arrive at the table. Steam should be visible.

The barbecued filling must be sufficient in quantity. Not a lot is required, but it needs to be enough to flavour the bun.

The filling must also be hot and contain the right amount of gravy/sauce. When the bun and the filling mixes together in the mouth, it should not feel too dry. Also, the taste should not be overwhelming. It is analagous to mashed potatoes and gravy, you want the right amount of both.

Usually, these are served in a wicker container containing two or three buns. These are considered the cheapest items on the menu and will be rated a 'small'. (Small, medium, large, extra-large, special, other are the ratings, each category has ascending prices.)

garcia1000 likes these.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

Lots of pictures of yummy food would make me interested!

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

most boring type of chinese food, but hey what ever floats your boat.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

Many people think that Cantonese food is boring. Quick background, there are four main categories of Chinese food.

Northern food, such as dumplings, noodles, and so on, is more similar to Western food. This is because the higher latitudes and colder climate means that food must be easy to make and able to be stored for a long time.

Sichuan food is appreciated by Caucasians a lot because it is very spicy due to use of their special kind of peppercorn. Sichuan is a mountainous region with a low variety of foodstuffs, and so the food needs to be flavoured with these things.

Shanghainese food, such as wonton chicken soup or Shanghai-style dumplings, are sort of midway between those above and Cantonese food. They have a variety of fresh ingredients (for example, hairy crabs are a particularly tasty delicacy) but also use cold cuts and noodles.

Cantonese food, especially places around the Pearl River Delta such as Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shunde, etc, get a wide variety of fresh food including seafood. Because of this, the cooking de-emphasises heavy spices and sauces, and emphasises freshness of ingredients and bringing out the fresh taste.

As an analogy, say some guys were to prepare a tuna. Northern style would be to fry it with heavy sauce, Sichuan would be to dunk it in hot peppercorns, Shanghainese would be to steam it in some soup base, Cantonese would be to eat it sashimi-style.

In American restaurants, much Chinese food is Sichuan or sometimes Northern style. This is because it is the tastiest when working with cheap or non-fresh ingredients, and the use of thick sauces is more recognizable to the Western palate.

Pictures
http://onokinegrindz.typepad.com/pho...ed/meisum4.jpg

http://worldonaplate.blogs.com/photo...d/dimsum_1.JPG

http://www.mmmchicago.com/images/bao.JPG

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

Please keep these coming. There are a lot of good Chinese and dim sum restaurants in Vientiane but I'm not very familiar with this type of cuisine.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

I was planning on doing a dim sum post but never got around to it. If you go to a good place, it is delicious. Here are some standard dim sum dishes. Pics from google.

Siu Mai (pork/mushroom dumpling)
http://maona.net/img/places/golden_palace/siu_mai.jpg

Ha Gow (shrimp)
http://www.chopstix.com/pics/editori...na-har-gow.jpg

Cheung Fun (shrimp or beef inside, rice noodle outside)
http://www.jenius.com.au/images/crys...RiceNoodle.jpg

Don't know the name for this one (I know my Chinese sucks) but it's bean curd on the outside and pork/mushroom on the inside, very delicious.
http://onokinegrindz.typepad.com/ono...es/taipan7.jpg

Dan Tat (standard dessert, custard egg tart)
http://www.jenius.com.au/images/crys...ha_eggTart.jpg

I may post more later.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

And just for fun:
Fung Jao (chicken feet)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/38/98...6350a60e94.jpg

Don't feel bad if you don't like it. I know plenty of Hong Kong born people who don't. I think it's ok. Basically you just eat the skin, spit out the bones.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

http://www.ift.edu.mo/en/Images/Rese...ns/Dim_Sum.jpg

i went to Roy's in philly and got Lobster Dim Sum. here is a picture of some random dim sum. please to be telling me how to make lobster dim sum as it was one of the best appetizers i've ever had. bar none.!!!!

thanks,
Barron

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

garcia, love the post but char siu bau as the #1 pick? COME ON!

my dream would be for a dim sum cart to be walking through the trading floor during business hours.


for nyc dim sum eaters, Oriental Garden is my top pick.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

garcia, splash:

I love dim sum. I usually go a couple of times per month. Sometimes to nicer places, sometimes to dingy huge ballroom type places. I like it all.

I always have lots of the regular stuff (BBQ Pork buns, Siu Mai, Ginger Pork dumpings (the ones that explode and burn your mouth if you are not careful, and come w/ a red wine vinegar sauce), various other types of dumplings, egg custard YUM, etc.) and love it all.

I would be interested in more detailed discussion on any common stuff like you did for pork buns.

But I'd be even more interested in which of the things you think are really great that don't come on the dumpling carts - all of the "special" items. I've had mixed experiences with those, some are great while others are pretty bad.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

I think you should also mention Xinjiang cuisine, as it it everywhere in China and delicious. Also, I really dont think northern chinese food is similar to western food.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

Me <3 turnip cakes, wrapped tofu skin, sticky rice, and sesame balls. Stuffed fried crab claws are delicious when light and crispy, terrible most of the time.

The west coast destroys the east coast wrt to dim sum.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

[ QUOTE ]
Me <3 turnip cakes, wrapped tofu skin, sticky rice, and sesame balls. Stuffed fried crab claws are delicious when light and crispy, terrible most of the time.

The west coast destroys the east coast wrt to dim sum.

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I haven't lived on the East Coast for some time, but this has got to be true. I just got back from a trip stopped by in Taipei and Hong Kong, and Dim Sum places in San Gabriel Valley (I live in LA) are just as good.

My favorite Chinese dumpling is Xiao Long Bao, or Soup Dumplings. I think it's not a traditional Dim Sum item and I don't see it everywhere (it's a Shanghainese dumpling, not Cantonese) but it is awesome.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._dumplings.jpg

-Al

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

may may gourmet

pickup a box of roasted char siu bau and freeze it. take to work and pop it in the microwave for a delicious afternoon snack.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

[ QUOTE ]
But I'd be even more interested in which of the things you think are really great that don't come on the dumpling carts - all of the "special" items. I've had mixed experiences with those, some are great while others are pretty bad.

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Hmm...I'm not sure what you're referring to here. My family and I never really order anything that isn't offered on the carts and my mom and grandfather are HK born traditional Chinese. What have you ordered that wasn't on the carts?

I know regular Americanized Chinese restaurants will often have dishes on the Chinese menu that don't appear on the English menu, but I don't think it works that way for dim sum.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

splash,

Bad writing on my part. I didn't mean not on the carts, I meant not on the carts w/ just dumplings. Mainly I was just asking for recommendations for stuff other than dumpings/buns.

Things like "Cheung Fun (shrimp or beef inside, rice noodle outside)" or "bean curd on the outside and pork/mushroom on the inside."

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

if you're askign about grabbing things that waiters walk around with that are not steamed go with these:

-- char siu sau(like "sew")
-- fried taro
-- chix/scallion dumpling

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

[ QUOTE ]
And just for fun:
Fung Jao (chicken feet)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/38/98...6350a60e94.jpg

Don't feel bad if you don't like it. I know plenty of Hong Kong born people who don't. I think it's ok. Basically you just eat the skin, spit out the bones.

[/ QUOTE ]

My favorite. Friends always freak out when I order it. The fried turnips come in at a close second.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

Al, Funny enough, I think Xiao Long Bao are better in NY than in CA.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

Daver - huh, this just tells me you have to get out to LA more often! (Although, IIRC the Xiao Long Bao at Joe's Shanghai is really good.)

Oh, and as a slight aside... the Din Tai Fung in San Gabriel Valley (often noted as the best soup dumpling in LA area) is a bit overrated and I think not worth the weekend wait. The one in Taipei is ridiculously good though.

-Al

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

the best Xiao Long Bao in CA are at HC Dumpling in Cupertino Village.

We go there twice a week most weeks.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

I've only had Dim Sum once, so there's a good chance I was Doing It Wrong (though there were some Asians with me for assistance), but I wasn't that impressed. I did like a lot of the various dumplings, but all in all I didn't think it was anything special.

I'm not opposed to trying it again, so any advice on what to eat/avoid would be appreciated.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

The only good thing about Dim sum is that Asian girls like it for breakfast/brunch.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

i am also a fan of chicken feet in various recipes. Xiaolongbao is my favorite.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

[ QUOTE ]

My favorite Chinese dumpling is Xiao Long Bao, or Soup Dumplings. I think it's not a traditional Dim Sum item and I don't see it everywhere (it's a Shanghainese dumpling, not Cantonese) but it is awesome.

-Al

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We tried a new (for us) place last week, and these were on the menu as "little buns" - no other description. Not expecting the soup, I bit into one and . . . where's the napkin?? Things went smoother after that and boy, are these tasty! I need to go to HC Dumpling soon and give theirs a try.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

I am a huge Dim Sum fan, its become pretty much ritual for me to head to this relatively dingy Dim Sum place in London if I am there for more than a day or 2.
Before reading this thread I never really knew what I was eating (ever) they will come round with the dishs on trolleys and I will just point things out, I am sure I have eaten all sorts!
My favorite though is the 'Cheung Fun' it has the weirdest most amazing texture, fantastic!

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

[ QUOTE ]
Daver - huh, this just tells me you have to get out to LA more often! (Although, IIRC the Xiao Long Bao at Joe's Shanghai is really good.)

Oh, and as a slight aside... the Din Tai Fung in San Gabriel Valley (often noted as the best soup dumpling in LA area) is a bit overrated and I think not worth the weekend wait. The one in Taipei is ridiculously good though.

-Al

[/ QUOTE ]

Al, I totally agree that Joe's Shanghai is great (for xiao long bao and for food generally) and that a trip to LA should be in my immediate future.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

Al,

Nice, I didn't realize that was a whole category of dumplings. Most SF area dim sum places have those (soup dumplings) as ginger-pork dumplings w/ a red rice wine vinegar dipping sauce. They are great, but if you're not expecting the soup, it'll explode like Analyst describes - and also maybe burn the hell out of your mouth!

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

[ QUOTE ]
Al,

Nice, I didn't realize that was a whole category of dumplings. Most SF area dim sum places have those (soup dumplings) as ginger-pork dumplings w/ a red rice wine vinegar dipping sauce. They are great, but if you're not expecting the soup, it'll explode like Analyst describes - and also maybe burn the hell out of your mouth!

[/ QUOTE ]

if they come with red vinegar, they are Cantonese dumplings (ie...2nd class dumplings) and not real Xiao Long Bao

Xiao Long Bao are served with a dark vinegar that I cannot recall the name of right now.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

[ QUOTE ]

Xiao Long Bao are served with a dark vinegar that I cannot recall the name of right now.

[/ QUOTE ]

We white man call it Black Vinegar. Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Add ginger, dip, repeat.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

My favorite Chinese dumpling is Xiao Long Bao, or Soup Dumplings. I think it's not a traditional Dim Sum item and I don't see it everywhere (it's a Shanghainese dumpling, not Cantonese) but it is awesome.

-Al

[/ QUOTE ]

We tried a new (for us) place last week, and these were on the menu as "little buns" - no other description. Not expecting the soup, I bit into one and . . . where's the napkin?? Things went smoother after that and boy, are these tasty! I need to go to HC Dumpling soon and give theirs a try.

[/ QUOTE ]

HC is very good, but Potsticker King is better, IMO. They don't have nearly as many choices, but very yummy. They also have the full-on Taiwanese little dishes. They rule.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

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HC is very good, but Potsticker King is better, IMO. They don't have nearly as many choices, but very yummy. They also have the full-on Taiwanese little dishes. They rule.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have a feeling that I'll be hankering some dumplings later tonight . . . do you know how late these places are open? Potsticker King doesn't give hours on their website, and near as I can tell, HC doesn't have one.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

HC is open till 9:30pm nightly (including weekends), but is closed from 2:30pm till 5:00pm during the day.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

The 2 keys to good xiaolongbao is IMO

1. very flavorfull meat/stock
2. Strong yet thin skin

Basically the thinner the skin that is still effectively able to hold in a decent amount of soup, the more skilled the maker.

As to XLB eating tips, take a small bite of the skin, slowly sip the soup, then eat the whole thing.

There is also XiaoLongBao's bigger brother, the Tang Bao

http://www.madaboutshanghai.com/imag...21/xlb_1_2.png

and its fried cousin, the shenjianbao

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...ao_on_a_pan.jpg

But all three of these I wouldn't really consider Cantonese Dim Sum.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

As to non dumpling type Cantonese dim sum dishes that I like, I am partial to the steamed curry squid and the beef tripe but those might be a bit adventurous for the average American diner.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

I heard Din Tai Fong is coming to Cupertino Square in the near future.
Went to the one in Arcadia about a month back. For some reason, it wasn't as good as previous times that I've been there.

Hope the one at Cupertino will be better!
But probably not. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

Great!

I'm going to start with the easy stuff and work my way up to the more obscure stuff. Probably a lot of the stuff you won't see in America, but anyway.


Har gow (prawn dumpling)

This is another staple of dim sum. It consists of a dumpling-style thing which you can eat in one bite. The inside is made of steamed shrimp. Sometimes accent ingredients such as young bamboo shoots or bamboo pith are added. The wrapping is made of flour. The whole thing is steamed until the wrapping becomes translucent and the shrimp inside is fully cooked.

Compared to barbecued pork bun, there is a greater difference in taste between bad har gow and good har gow.

Here's what good har gow should be:

The shrimp must be fresh. Har gow is not heavy in flavour, but the shrimp taste must be immediately apparent. Usage of frozen shrimp is common in cheaper har gow but taste suffers.

The whole thing must be hot.

The wrapping must be steamed to the right consistency. It should be a bit chewy without being too soggy (sticks to the palate) or too hard.

The inside should be juicy but not watery. This comes from using good shrimp and good steaming technique. The juice that comes out when you bit into the har gow should not be immediately apparent, but should not be excessive.

These are usually served in bamboo wicker baskets, four to a serving. They are usually 'medium' menu items.

garcia1000 sort of likes these.

Pictures!
http://maona.net/img/places/golden_palace/har_gow.jpg
http://www.tastingmenu.com/media/200...-har%20gow.jpg
http://www.chopstix.com/pics/editori...na-har-gow.jpg

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

D,
i realize you wanted non-standard cart stuff, but you can order stuff from the kitchen at most places as well. when i go with my wife's family, i usually insist on lobster w/yee mien noodles (the lobster juices get cooked into the noodles making for a big plate of noodley, lobstery goodness). for non-bun stuff on the cart, try the salt and pepper seabass and salt and pepper squid. if done right, the fish is what ray croc imagined when McDonalds came out with the filet-o-fish (crispy and salty on the outside with a moist, tender, yumminess inside) and the squid will blow the doors off of any happy hour plate of calamari at any hip bar in the bay area.

try Tong Palace on Clement and 11th for good stuff.

also, when picking a restaurant, (according to my wife), you do the standard look for the black heads thing. lots of black heads means that the joint is popular with the chinese patrons, which, of course, means that the food is authentic and well done. with cantonese food, this also means that the food is fresh, as the patrons wouldn't stand for anything less.
also, you want to make sure that you keep on looking for the black hair. in SF, the head chefs will move from restaurant to restaurant and the food quality will change. what was a great restaurant one week might be pretty crappy the next because the chef started working somewhere else. luckily, my in-laws are pretty much in touch with the whole chinese food scene in the city, so my wife and i benefit from their knowledge.

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

Crab-pork XLB at Mei Long Village = #1

On Valley Blvd. in SGV

Re: Dim sum and other Cantonese food
 

Nice thread, but WTF at

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Sichuan food is appreciated by Caucasians a lot because it is very spicy due to use of their special kind of peppercorn.

[/ QUOTE ]

Since when is spicy food appreciated by Caucasians in general? Real Szechuan food is too spicy for almost all Caucasians I know. Of course some of the wordly denizens of this forum will be exceptions, but I wouldn't agree with the generalization otherwise.