I'M SO FULL!! I should've NEVER eaten those....WAIT, those dumplings look nice!Nov 29 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line It's true what they say about the Chinese cuisine. In a Chinese restaurant, you're either extremely full or you're extremely hungry!
As I said in an earlier review, there are many different types of Chinese cuisines, all of which have dishes that will appeal to anyone. Vegetarian, meat eater, vegan, fruitarian (well, maybe not, but you get my point). You name it. Any person will like Chinese cuisine one way or another. One of my favorite types of Chinese cuisine is the Cantonese cuisine. As you can guess, the word "Cantonese" derives from the city of Canton, which is in the southern parts of China. You might wonder, how is Hong Kong linked to Canton? Firstly, these are both in the South and are almost literally next to each other, and secondly, Cantonese is one of Hong Kong's main languages. Hong Kong is also an international city and the many restaurants in Hong Kong try to promote a wide range of different cuisines. However, it is the Cantonese cuisine, which is the most popular cuisine here in Hong Kong. In the Cantonese cuisine, there are certain dishes, which create the term dim sum. Dim sum is basically a range of cooked Cantonese snacks, which are available from early in the morning up till mid afternoon (about 9:00AM - 3:00PM; these dishes are usually eaten for lunch). This is also known as yum cha, which is basically a term for "snacks" in Cantonese. Now, these "Chinese dumplings" (as some of you might refer to them as when you see them), are usually steamed or fried, and because of this, it contains a lot of monosodium glutamate(MSG), a chemical (or a "flavor enhancer") found in most foods fried in oil and something that might lead to the occasional headache. Nothing serious, however, will result from foods containing MSG (well, at least not for me, my relatives or my friends so far!). Anyway, this might be putting you to sleep, so now, I will, in detail talk about some of the main types of dishes you might expect from a meal of dim sum. First, there are the Barbecued Pork Buns or char siu bau in Cantonese. These are white, starchy buns that contains barbecued pork inside. These are usually served with a translucent baking sheet on the bottom of the bun. I assume that these are there, so that the bun will not fall apart while being steamed (don't question me on this, because I have no idea!). Anyway, the mixture of the pork fat (in this case, it is the best part of the pork!) and lean pork is succulent and the sweet taste to the pork is unique and is extremely tasty. The bun balances the sweetness of the pork and accompanies the meat perfectly. Another dish that is popular among the many dim sum dishes out there are the Steamed Shrimp Dumplings or har gow. These white translucent dumplings containing shrimp and at some restaurants, a dash of ginger. When piping hot, these are highly addictive, and once one goes into your mouth, you can't stop! I don't know what exactly makes me addicted to this. It could be the juiciness of the shrimp as it enters my mouth. Or it could well be the tiny amount of ginger that makes the difference. Or it could well be the combination of shrimp and the ginger. Whatever it is, it will make all you seafood fans fall in love with this dish! I also have fallen madly in love with the Pork Dumplings with Shrimp or better known around here as siu mai. Although this may sound similar to the previous dish, it's a lot different! The pork in this dumpling is covered by shrimp and a yellow dumpling "covering" (or the stuff you typically see around dumpling). The pork is juicy, as is the shrimp and integrating these two different types of "meat" together helps creates the individuality of this dish. Always delicious, especially when steaming hot! There is also fried rice noodles or cheung fan. The rice noodles are a white translucent but thick noodle that is rolled into one big flat and folded noodle. This is dipped in soy sauce, before being deep fried and is topped off with some pork. This is also addictive and although the pork is not a necessity, it adds to the flavor. This can also be served steamed. When steamed, the noodle is stuffed with either barbecued pork or shrimp and soy sauce is poured on top of it. This is just as tasty and is the option for those of you who do not like deep fried foods. Oh, wait! There's more! The Spring Rolls or chun goon contains a mixture of vegetables (black mushrooms, cabbage and carrots as far as I know) and is rolled up into a batter, which is then deep fried before being served. These are tasty and even if it contains meat or no meat, these are an absolute delight to the mouth. The crunchiness of the spring roll as you bite into it makes your stomach crave for more! A great dish that is used throughout most of Asia (along with different variations!). Wait! How about dessert?! There are Egg Custard Tarts or dan tat that is served as dessert. These, as you can imagine, are egg custard tarts, which are not too sweet in taste, but the presence of the egg and custard are there for you to taste. The pastry around the outside of the tart helps balance the sweetness of the dish and adds to the addictiveness of these tarts! The number of dim sum dishes that have been mentioned will be more than enough for a couple or even a trio! You might wonder, are there any sauces with it? I can say that there are a wide array of sauces that you can mix and match with! There is the good old Soy Sauce, which compliments the dumplings very well. Or you can try the X.O. sauce, which is an extremely spicy sauce that is only recommended to those who can bear anything that is extremely spicy. There is also the mixture of salt and pepper, but this is not good on dim sum. The list is endless, and I have to say, I am not an expert on the sauces, so I won't go into much further detail. Most of these dishes are served on dishes made of bamboo wood, while others are put on small plates. Just thought I'd add a little trivial point to this review. Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope this inspires you guys to eat Chinese food.  |
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