Dim sum and other Cantonese food

[J.A.Sucker]

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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.

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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.

[Analyst]

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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.

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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.

[By-Tor]

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

[amoeba]

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.

[amoeba]

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.

[DrNo888]

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]

[garcia1000]

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!

[M2d]

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.

[Insp. Clue!So?]

Crab-pork XLB at Mei Long Village = #1

On Valley Blvd. in SGV

[7ontheline]

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.

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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.