Cuisines of Asia - Dim Sums & Dumplings

Dim Sum: Dim sum is a style of Chinese cuisine. It is prepared as small bite-sized portions of food served in small steamer baskets or on a small plate. Dim sum is generally considered Cantonese, although other varieties exist. Dim sum ( Yum cha) dishes are usually served morning before breakfast or more typically with tea in the afternoon and together form a full tea brunch. Nowadays some restaurants offer typically a no. of dishes for Dim Sum dinner also. Dim sum traditionally are served as fully cooked, ready-to-serve dishes. In some Cantonese teahouses, carts with dim sum are served around the restaurant. Here are a few popular Dim sum dishes.

1. Steamed Xiaolongbao : Chinese soup dumplings, sometimes also referred to as Shanghai Soup Dumplings, xiaolongbao  (tang bao), are a steamed dumpling consisting of a paper thin wrapper enveloping a meat filling and hot, flavourful soup.

2. Four treasure roll (chicken or other meat of your choice): Veggies, sesame oil, shredded meat.

3. Black Bean Beef Hor Fun: Hor Fun (Kway Teow) is a type of wide, flat, steamed rice noodle. 

4.  Abalone based dim sum:

(Abalone is a common name for any of a group of small to large sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs)

-- Raja Mitra