Dim Sum anyone??

[Dismom+two]

On Sunday, my daughter and I are going with her best friend and HER mother into Boston Chinatown for Dim Sum. This is a favorite thing to do by the best friend and mother and I have never done this. Can anyone help me understand this DIM SUM and give me some ideas of what I will be eatting?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

The one time we had Dim Sum in Chinatown in DC--we were able to select our items off of a menu and then they brought those items and we all shared. So we had nothing...unusual at the table. It kind of reminds me a little bit of Tapas.....basically appetizer size portions that you order a bunch of and share around the table. Of course this was 20 years ago so YMMV and maybe it has changed or I am not remembering correctly. I don't recall enough to know what we ordered--just that it was all delish and edible.

 

[leafette]

Dim Sum involves a variety of small servings that you select from a trolley that is pushed down the aisles of the restaurant. Usually, you get 3-4 items on the plate, and everyone in the group tries it. You can try a variety of dishes because the portion sizes are small, and your meal is priced by the number of items you select. It's a fun way to expand your horizons w/regard to Chinese food!

 

[Dismom+two]

Thank you both for your help. I am looking forward to this however at the same time a bit unsure.

 

[Tarheel Tink]

On a personal note- I highly recommend NOT wearing long sleeves with anything dangling from them . It was not a pretty sight after several dishes and my reaching for them....

 

[1Prince2Princesses]

The last time I had Dim Sum, I agreed to try everything my friend ordered. I then sampled what were, hands down, the grossest things I've ever eaten. Jellyfish salad (I kid you not... it was tentacles with the texture of pencil erasers) and tripe, which is stomach lining. Blech.

Everything else was delicious, though. If you like asian-style food, you'll love dim sum. It's a lot of fun.

 

[beattyfamily]

I LOVE Dim Sum and wish I could do it more often. We've done it in Boston a few times and many many times when I was a little girl in China.

I wish I could remember the names of the yummy stuff for you. My nieces would know (they are half Chinese and still speak it).

There is this one white (rice) noodle that you can get and they pour some yummy brown sauce on it, boy is it delicious. Here's a picture though. YUM!

You can't go wrong with the items that look like meatballs (Shui Mai).

Also, you should try 'sticky' rice. It comes served in lotus leaves. Its very delicious. It comes with a variety of ingredients like pork, beef etc...

Also, another yummy item is a Cha Sue Bun (Char Siu Bao). It is a white bun with Roasted pork in it. YUM!

Here's a link to a picture with typical Dim Sum dishes; the bun on the lower right is the Roast pork bun:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Imageimsum_breakfast_in_Hong_Kong.jpg

Those are some of my favorites!

 

[leafette]

The last time I had Dim Sum, I agreed to try everything my friend ordered. I then sampled what were, hands down, the grossest things I've ever eaten. Jellyfish salad (I kid you not... it was tentacles with the texture of pencil erasers) and tripe, which is stomach lining. Blech.

I drew the line at fried chicken feet. I know; I have no sense of adventure.

 

[diznygirl]

We used to go to LA's Chinatown with someone who was really good at stopping the carts and ordering. We had no idea what the names of everthing were - he explained, "It's pork," or "it's chicken" and we listened. It was very yummy!

Since you will be going with people with experience, I would trust them to explain what things are. Have fun!

 

[yeartolate]

I love the little sesame seed balls. To be certain you lose a coranary artery each time you have one, but yum. THey are made with glutinous rice flour for the outside shell and have sweet bean paste on the inside.

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

I drew the line at fried chicken feet. I know, I have no sense of adventure.

Please dear Lord, do not let cantw8 see this. I am already thinking about what could happen

 

[grlpwrd]

Have fun!

Dim sum is a fun way to eat truly authentic Chinese food.

 

[disneyred]

I LOVE dimsum and wish I could eat it more often...
all these pics are really making me hungry !

 

[Deb in IA]

I LOVE Dim Sum and wish I could do it more often. We've done it in Boston a few times and many many times when I was a little girl in China.

I wish I could remember the names of the yummy stuff for you. My nieces would know (they are half Chinese and still speak it).

There is this one white (rice) noodle that you can get and they pour some yummy brown sauce on it, boy is it delicious. Here's a picture though. YUM!

You can't go wrong with the items that look like meatballs (Shui Mai).

Also, you should try 'sticky' rice. It comes served in lotus leaves. Its very delicious. It comes with a variety of ingredients like pork, beef etc...

Also, another yummy item is a Cha Sue Bun (Char Siu Bao). It is a white bun with Roasted pork in it. YUM!

Here's a link to a picture with typical Dim Sum dishes; the bun on the lower right is the Roast pork bun:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Imageimsum_breakfast_in_Hong_Kong.jpg

Those are some of my favorites!

Wow, you have some of my absolute favorites there!!!! I shouldn't have opened the pics; now I am drooling on my computer (just kidding!)!!

Yes, I second the Char Siu Bao. They are steamed buns with barbequed pork. And the Shui Mai is very tasty . . . also very juicy!!


I LOVE Dim Sum!!! In Chinese, the literal translation of the words is "to touch the heart". Dim Sum is a meal made up of small snack-type dishes. They are meant to be passed around and shared. In the US, I've seen two ways in which Dim Sum is served; either ordered as dishes from a menu, or, typically in larger restaurants, there are push carts that are loaded with these dishes that go around the room, and the tables take what they want from each cart. A scorecard is kept on the table, and when a dish is picked, the cart person will stamp that card with the symbol for that dish. At the end of the meal, all the stamps on the scorecard are totalled for the final bill.

It is a wonderful way to eat Chinese food, and at the end, you WILL feel that your heart has been touched!!!

 

[barbeml]

Had my one and only Dim Sum lunch in Chinatown in San Franciso back in 1999. It was a great experience, but heavy on the seafood items (which I don't care for). However, I found enough to keep me happy, especially the steamed BBQ pork buns and the dumplings.

I do recall that it was pretty pricey for a small amount of food.

 

[cryssi]

I never had real dim sum until I met DH (he's 1/2 chinese)

Anyway, about the chicken feet...I was REALLY grossed out and could barely eat the first one I ever tried (it's basically skin, little bones, and sauce - btw, don't eat the white ones, get the ones in the reddish, spicy/sweet sauce). Once you get past the fact that they are chicken feet and you are eating skin (not a problem if you like stuff like chicken skin, which I do not), you can really enjoy the tasty sauce. I think I didn't start liking chicken feet until the 3rd or 4th time I tried them...

My favorite is dessert. I am particularly fond of the egg custard tarts, which are made of not too sweet egg custard in flaky pastry shells!

I've actually learned how to make a few dim sum items from DH's aunt...it's very cool!

 

[Dismom+two]

WOW! What a great response!! Thank you all for your input! I am pretty good about trying some things however I'm concerned about my DD12....she can be very picky!! Any chance there will be some simple basic things that she might like??

 

[cryssi]

a lot of things are flavored with shiitake (black) mushrooms, which have a very distinctive flavor. I think a very "normal" type thing is the baked char siu bao, that is, if she likes char siu. If she likes the shiitake mushrooms, then siu mai (meatballs pictured earlier) are really great. Hakkao (I don't know how to spell it) which is a shrimp in a wheat starch pouch is good too, no weird flavors, I don't think. You can't go wrong with eggrolls, either! Hmm, let me think...it's been awhile since I've been... There's usually a curry-filled flaky pastry which I like, too.

um...oh yeah and that flat rice noodle thing is really good too...

 

[RNMOM]

The restaurant here is Cleveland we go to for Dim Sum also has a traditional menu to choose from. You can even order from both.

 

[beattyfamily]

WOW! What a great response!! Thank you all for your input! I am pretty good about trying some things however I'm concerned about my DD12....she can be very picky!! Any chance there will be some simple basic things that she might like??

If you stick with some of the ones I posted, I think your DD will be ok. They also have some 'normal' desserts too.

Have fun and be sure and report back to us how it went!