Dim Sum Delight

In my travels in China, we made a point to eat a lot of dim sum. Although Houston has some pretty good dim sum varieties, there are many items that aren't offered here in the States.

The first dim sum item worth mentioning is low sa bao, a steamed white bun with a runny, yolk-like filling. I've had a version in America that has a solid filling, but the uniqueness of this treat is the liquid-form of the egg-yolk center. It gets messy sometimes, but it's absolutely delicious and worth the mess.

The second item I'd like to feature is a Portuguese tart (poa taht). Similar to an egg custard tart, the top of this is torched like a creme brulee. When it's freshly torched, the top is extra crispy and the pastry is the perfect flakiness. Although I haven't had this tart in the south, the egg custard tart is sold in every dim sum restaurant I've ever been to.

This item is a very traditional dim sum food, but I decided to talk about it because I had never seen a restaurant go to the extreme and shape it into a fish! This turnip cake was not fried like it normally is, but was steamed. I personally like fried versions better, but the presentation was definitely interesting and worth mentioning.

If you're completely unfamiliar with the concept of dim sum, it's a Cantonese brunch tradition. In a literal translation, it means "to order to your heart's desire". At a genuine dim sum restaurant, a menu with about 40 items are listed for you to select from. Because portions are small, you typically order multiple items - or as many as your 'heart desires'. Once you are done with your selections, your waiter/ress collects your 'checklist' and brings your food out as it is completed.

At the dim sum restaurants I've dined at in the States, they typically push a heated cart around with already prepared items. Each cart will feature multiple items, but the items typically have something in common. For example, one cart might be all desserts, another might be all fried, the other might be steamed, one might have all buns, etc.

Most major cities have a Chinatown and I'm almost certain will have at least one dim sum restaurant. As more and more people begin to appreciate Asian cuisines, these types of restaurants have and will continue to thrive. Each time I go, I see more and more white American families taking a stab (with their two-handed chopstick techniques) at dim sum. I have yet to meet one person who does not enjoy dim sum, and I doubt that I ever will. With the vast variety of food offered, strong flavors, and rich culture the dining experience offers, I can't imagine it being anything less than an enjoyable experience.