Dim sum 101: How to order yum cha like a pro
Yum cha is a great way to get together over dumplings and beer, but we tend to forget the elaborate art and laborious craft behind it.
Those baskets of delicate, small, steamed, fried and braised dim sum are a hallmark of Cantonese cuisine that dates back to the 10th century.
These days you’re likely to find a tick-the-box menu, but if trolleys are circling the tables, allow the trolley madam to show you what she has. It’s OK to say “no thanks”, but if you see something you like, grab it because it may not come by again.
Aim for a balance of mostly steamed dumplings, with a few fried and braised dishes – and something that will fill up the kids before the expensive seafood hits the table.
Tip: steamed barbecue pork buns are your best filler, as long as you don’t eat them all yourself.
How many should you order?
Most items come in threes, so two people ordering six dishes, or four people ordering 12 dishes will eat a comfortable nine dumplings each. Not that anyone stops at nine.
The big orders are for
- Har gau (steamed prawn dumplings)
- Siu mai (steamed pork and prawn dumplings)
- Xiao long bao (small purse-shaped dumplings holding pork and scalding hot broth)
- Char siu bao (fat and fluffy steamed barbecue pork buns)
- Wu gok (deep-fried “fright-wig” pork and shrimp dumplings)
- Har cheung fun (slippery steamed prawn rice noodle roll)
- Chun guen (fried spring rolls)
There are several marks of a good yum cha
- The place should be bustling, with a good variety of small eats to choose from, as well as barbecue roast meats.
- Dumplings should taste fresh, bouncy and not overly sweet, with no aftertaste of iodine from the prawns.
- A quick test is to count the number of pleats in the gathered wrappers of the har gau – anything over 10 is considered well-crafted.
- Over-steamed, a dumpling will lose its wrapper like a shawl shrugged from a shoulder.
Drinks
Tea is the natural accompaniment – jasmine is light and refreshing, pu er is hairs-on-your-chest strong, and the delightful chrysanthemum tea, made with dried petals, is the most fragrant. When the pot is empty, turn the lid upside down as a sign you need more water.
A light Chinese beer such as Tsingtao also hits the spot.
It’s OK to say ‘no thanks’, but if you see something you like on the trolley, grab it because it may not come by again.
Where to go
Now put it all into practice as often as you can, and keep our great yum cha palaces in business. In Melbourne, try Shark Fin House, Red Emperor, Oriental Tea House, Golden Dragon and David’s. In Sydney, seek out Mr Wong, Lotus The Galeries, East Phoenix, Palace Chinese and Jinja.
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Jill Dupleix is a Good Food contributor and reviewer who writes the Know-How column.From our partners
Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/goodfood/tips-and-advice/dim-sum-101-how-to-order-yum-cha-like-a-pro-20230404-p5cy2q.html