Eater's Digest Blog > Delectable Dim Sum

Delectable Dim Sum

October 18, 2007 | (10 comments) | Post a Comment

When is the last time you went out for dim sum? You know, on a Sunday after reading the paper, you head to your city's Chinatown and enjoy pot after pot of tea while sampling many different small plates of steamed and fried dumplings, buns or bao, pot stickers, and spring and egg rolls. It is a memorable and entertaining meal and a great window into the Chinese culture. Dim Sum literally translated means "to touch your heart," and after sampling a dim sum feast, you'll understand the meaning; these little tasty packages are like gifts to your mouth! Perhaps it has been a bit too long since you've lazed away an afternoon like this. Life gotten too busy? Weekends are now full of others obligations or perhaps the idea of fighting crowds and finding parking just doesn't appeal to you? Why not bring some of that dim sum excitement home! With all our various dim sum and Chinese appetizer recipes, you can create your own Cantonese delicacies right in your own kitchen! Not sure which ones to try and how to put the meal together? Check out echo echo's menu Dim Sum Feast, which is chock full of fabulous dim sum recipes for a memorable and extravagant meal. And now that you are in control of the cooking, you don't have to wait until the weekend to enjoy these delectable dumplings and dishes. Many of these recipes freeze beautifully, so they are perfect for easy entertaining during the week; defrost and serve one or two of these for starters and your dinner guests will be delighted. After sampling a few of these babies, we have a feeling your heart will definitely be touched; delicious dim sum therapy is here!

Pass the Pot Stickers, Please!

Chinese Pot Stickers "These pot stickers are 100% better than any you can buy and well worth the extra effort. I like to make them and then freeze them so all you have to do is the final steps just before you serve them..."-- Bergy

Best Vegetarian Pot Stickers "If you like Chinese dumplings, these vegetarian pot stickers will blow your mind!! They are very easy to make (contrary to what people may think) and dumpling skins are available even in Western supermarket now..."-- Izzy Knight

Chicken and Lemon Pot Stickers With Soy-Scallion Dipping Sauce "Ground chicken, bok choy, and Asian aromatics nestle in pleated wonton wrappers. Make the filling and sauce a day ahead, but assemble the pot stickers just before cooking. They're just as good at room temperature as they are when warm..."-- nsomniak6

Steamed Shrimp Dumplings or Pot Stickers "I have been addicted to steamed dumplings for years. My local Chinese eatery charges $5 for ten. Considering the cheap ingredients and not even knowing what that "mystery meat" filling was I decided to search for a solution...It is incredible."-- Pot Scrubber

Scrumptious Steamed Buns & Fillings

Chinese Barbecued Pork Bun (Cha Siu Bow) "I was raised in San Francisco and have fun memories of going down to China Town with my Dad and chowing down on steamed pork buns that we had gotten from one of the ubiquitous Chinese bakeries there. This recipe brings back those memories every time..."-- jeniwan

Baked Hoisin Chicken Buns "A tasty light version for those of us watching our diets and waistlines. These are simply scrumptious and I make them often. You can use thawed frozen rolls to make it more convenient, but I find using my own bread dough tastes much better."-- Cynna

Do Sha Bao Filling (Red Bean Bun Filling) "Mmm....sweet, smooth, warm and with just the righ depth of flavor, there's nothing like dou sha bao. Though primarily is a filling for Chinese steamed buns, this versatile and fairly healthy sweet tooth satisfier can also be spread on toast..."-- BrotherAdso

More Delicious Dim Sum Info

A few more classic dim sum dishes to try are Chinese spareribs, spicy salt and pepper squid, and shrimp toasts, and shrimp, pork, or sesame balls. Also browse through some more of our members' Chinese Menus and you might never call for greasy and expensive take out again! And our members have also compiled some stellar Chinese appetizer recipe collections in their Dim Sum Cookbooks; bite sized portions, here we come! Please stop by our Asian Cooking: China, India, Japan, and SE Asia Forum where our expert hosts and members are standing by!