Dim Sum 101

popular dim sum (shumai, beef balls, and chicken feet)

steamed buns with barbecue char siu pork

What to Order:

That’s probably the first question that comes to mind. When I first brought my children in, they gravitated towards the shumai (ground pork wrapped and steamed in wonton wrappers). They can easily eat one whole order by themselves. Another popular dim sum fare is har gow (steamed shrimp dumplings) and the steamed bun with barbecued pork filling. If you are feeling more adventurous then you definitely need to try the chicken feet. Few places perfect the marinade and sauce that gives this piece of fowl meat its addictive taste. Eat it like you would any fruit with a pit–pop one of the claws into your mouth, with your tongue and teeth, strip the meat from the bone which you will spit out once the meat is cleaned off.

 

How to Order:

savory dim sum delicacies kept warm in the cart

Typical traditional teahouses will wheel a metal cart around the restaurant. As it wheels up to your table, you may see stacks of round steamers set on top of another. The server will remove the lids so you can see the choices. Point to the ones you want to order and do not hesitate to ask what each dim sum is if you are unsure of the ingredients.

The server will then stamp or mark your order on a sheet of paper. This is marked by “size”. The “smaller” dim sum will be cheaper and anything in the “small-size” category will have the same price regardless of ingredients.

Each table’s orders are marked on this sheet of paper with dim sum grouped and priced according to size.

Other Courtesies

• Despite the small portions, dim sum is meant to be shared. If you want more shumai and you know you can eat a whole order by yourself, you might as well place two orders and keep them within reach so everyone may partake of them.
• In Hong Kong and other Cantonese-speaking areas of China, dim sum is called yum cha which means to drink tea. As suggested, tea goes well with your steamed small bites. Some restaurants have their house teas, but many offer special teas for an extra cost. Your choices may include oolong tea, jasmine tea, and if you are ready for it, chrysanthemum tea.

  

  lift lid and place this way or balance it on the open mouth of the teapot to signal a need for more hot water

• Speaking of tea, if you are out, simply place the lid upright or sitting on the edge of the mouth of the pot to indicate to your server that you need a refill of hot water to re-steep the tea leaves that are in a little strainer inside the teapot. The second refill still tastes fine and not watered down at all.

  

  Tap the table gently to signify your thanks for the person filling up your teacup.

• As someone pours tea into your empty teacup, you tap the table lightly with your index and middle fingers simultaneously as a gesture of thanks. And don’t forget to pour for others first before yourself.
• In general, dim sum food is not spicy. However, you can always ask for their chili sauce to add a little heat in every bite. In Hong Kong, we would ask for a little sauce dish, put some soy sauce in it, and add the chili sauce to taste and lightly mix with a chopstick. Your own sauce dish means you can also double dip!

Don’t be deterred from trying a new place or a new type of food just because you don’t know what to expect and you’re not sure of what to do. This little cheat sheet should hopefully do the trick for you!