Making Dim Sum at Home

[jo-mel]

I wish there was a book about the origin of specific Chinese dishes!!

Eileen Yin-Fei Lo's Din Sum book says about Pearl Balls ---- This is not a Cantonese dim sum, but one found in Shanghai, and in Peking it would be served as a first course in a banquet."

Then in The Chinese Restaurant Cook Book - Barbara Meyers, ----- Pearl Balls originated in the central part of China in Hubei province next to Hunan. The appetizer often appears on Mandarin menus, is sometimes served at banquets, is part of the Cantonese dim sum (light snacks) and also appears on Hunan menus."

Chang / Kutchner's "An Ency. of Chinese Food and Cooking" has 3 recipes and gives the origin as Hupeh (Hubei).

Fuchsia Dunlop does have Pearl Balls, but she says that they can be sweet or savory, and her recipe is for a sweet one.

Enough research!! LOL!

[Gary Soup]

I wish there was a book about the origin of specific Chinese dishes!!

I don't think origins have a lot to do with the places a particular food is associated with. We tend to associate wonton soup and fried rice with Cantonese food, but neither are of Cantonese origin, for example.

Wherever "pearl balls" hail from, they must be currently traveling. I have never crossed their path.

Fuchsia Dunlop does have Pearl Balls, but she says that they can be sweet or savory, and her recipe is for a sweet one.

By your definition of Pearl Balls, what on earth are the sweet variety in Fuschia's cook book? Are your sure she's not talking about yuanzi?

[jo-mel]

In Fuchsia Dunlop's Land of Plenty, They are titled "Pearly Rice Balls" -- Zhen Zhu Yuan Zi. For her sweet ones, she uses: Red bean paste or lotus seed paste is enclosed in a mix of a 2-rice flour dough, then rolled in soaked glutinous rice, and steamed. She doesn't have a recipe for pork ones.

Just saw that Yan Kit Martin calls them a Hunan dish!!

Some call them Zhen Zhu Wan Zi, Zhen Zhu Qiu, Zhen Zhu Rou Wan.

I think I finally found where I read the Shanghai connection. In Lin / Lin's "Chinese Gastronomy". In the Regional Cooking chapter, they write of: "The Chekiang-Kiangsu idea of eating was quite different. It was really a sampling of specialties made by experts" They then go on to give recipes for Juicy Buns and Pearl Balls. They go on to say: "It is typical of the region that rich, heavy pork and glutinous rice should be made into something dainty and attractive."

After all this, Gary ---you or DH are just going to have to make them to see what they are all about!!

[Gary Soup]

In Fuchsia Dunlop's Land of Plenty, They are titled "Pearly Rice Balls" -- Zhen Zhu Yuan Zi. For her sweet ones, she uses: Red bean paste or lotus seed paste is enclosed in a mix of a 2-rice flour dough, then rolled in soaked glutinous rice, and steamed. She doesn't have a recipe for pork ones.....

I think I finally found where I read the Shanghai connection. In Lin / Lin's "Chinese Gastronomy". In the Regional Cooking chapter, they write of: "The Chekiang-Kiangsu idea of eating was quite different. It was really a sampling of specialties made by experts" They then go on to give recipes for Juicy Buns and Pearl Balls. They go on to say: "It is typical of the region that rich, heavy pork and glutinous rice should be made into something dainty and attractive."

Sounds like Fuschia's dish is a conventional New Year's yuanzi with the intact rice stuck to the outside. I was wondering how you could stick rice to a blob of lotus paste or bean past and keep the shape...

Nothing "dainty and attractive" about what I see in the pictures of pearl balls that've been posted, but I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[hzrt8w]

Off the top of my head, the various snacky/street food type stuff could be applicable, but they would be comparable to snacky/street food in Cantonese, and not necessarily for dimsum.

In Hong Kong in the 60's and 70's, you would only find the "traditional" dim sum entries in restaurants. Examples are: Har Gow, Siu Mei, Char Siu Bao, Cheung Fun, Beef balls, Lo Bak Gau, etc..

In the 80's, we saw more and more what's once considered street food being offered in dim sum restaurants. They now became a de facto dim sum entries.

For example:

Tofu with fish paste, green bell pepper with fish paste, eggplant with fish paste

Beef stomach

Plain chow mein with soy sauce

All these were once only sold on the street because restaurant operators considered them too "low class" to be served inside a tea house.

Not only that, they graduately incorporated other good eats and sold them as "dim sum": for example: barbequed pork, chicken, geese... and they got bakery items: egg tarts, baked BBQ pork baos, shrimp toasts, etc... and they started selling jook... and threw in desserts such as almond jello and tapioca to the mix...

What you see in dim sum restaurants today has gone through many years of business evolutions. The new generation would think whatever they see in dim sum restaurants are part of the "dim sum" family.

Well... Just whatever sells...

[hzrt8w]

BLACK PEPPER SAUCE

Ingredients:

1 scallion, finely minced

½ tsp. minced ginger

1 cup chicken broth

1 ½ Tbsp. sherry

1 Tbsp. light soy sauce

1 tsp. or more black pepper (to taste)

salt (opt.)

½ tsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Preparation and Cooking:

--Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and mix well.

--Bring to a boil, while stirring.

--Cook while stirring until thick and bubbly.

--Combine with stir/fried meat and vegetables.

Jo-Mel: Your black pepper sauce is close. I would add onion, garlic, a few mashed black beans (fermented), and some tomato sauce/paste.

As for the process, I would:

- First heat up the pan with oil. Add onion and garlic and ginger and scallion to saute for a minute.

- Then dash in the sherry or vinegar

- Then add black beans, black pepper and everything else except cornstarch, cook to boil

- Finally add cornstarch to thicken the sauce

- Combine with meat/vege.

[hzrt8w]

These were the pple most likely to leave Shanghai for HK during and after the revolution .... I would wager that those hours spent in French cafes were a precursor to Hong Kong's bakeries.

I agree that Shanghai people made many contributions to Hong Kong's success from the 50's to the 70's. Many of them were in banking, clothing, food businesses.

Hong Kong Bank, originally called "Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank", was moved from Shanghai to Hong Kong because of the revolution.

[aprilmei]

I agree that Shanghai people made many contributions to Hong Kong's success from the 50's to the 70's.  Many of them were in banking, clothing, food businesses.

Hong Kong Bank, originally called "Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank", was moved from Shanghai to Hong Kong because of the revolution.

It's still called Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank - at least it is here in Hong Kong - it might be different overseas.

And Shanghainese people still have a big influence in Hong Kong - although I'm not sure if they actually contribute anything. Our chief executive Tung Chee-hwa is Shanghainese but the only people who benefit from him are real estate developers, big businesses and the mainland.

[Gary Soup]

It's HSBC in the U.S. (Hong Kong-Shanghai Banking Corporation).

It's wasn't "moved" from Shanghai, but closed/renamed after the revolution ("liberation", to be precise, as the "revolution" was in 1911). It existed in HK well before 1949.

The shipping, banking and real estate magnates (Li Ka-Shing is another notable example) who moved from Shanghai to HK were actually keepers of a capitalistic ethic that began in Ningbo and moved THROUGH Shanghai.

There's an old anecdote about the Lord Mayor of London visiting the Mayor of Shanghai, and asking: "is it true, as I've heard, that the smartest people in China come from Shanghai?" "No," said the Mayor, "the smartest people in China come TO Shanghai." There's still some truth to that.

This doesn't have much to do with food, though.

[jo-mel]

It's HSBC in the U.S. (Hong Kong-Shanghai Banking Corporation).

It's wasn't "moved" from Shanghai, but closed/renamed after the revolution ("liberation", to be precise, as the "revolution" was in 1911). It existed in HK well before 1949.

The shipping, banking and real estate magnates (Li Ka-Shing is another notable example) who moved from Shanghai to HK were actually keepers of a capitalistic ethic that began in Ningbo and moved THROUGH Shanghai.

There's an old anecdote about the Lord Mayor of London visiting the Mayor of Shanghai, and asking: "is it true, as I've heard, that the smartest people in China come from Shanghai?" "No," said the Mayor, "the smartest people in China come TO Shanghai." There's still some truth to that.

This doesn't have much to do with food, though.

Well--- we can still "bank" on dim sum being food for topic!! LOL!

Dim Sum in the South, Dian Xin in the North, Yum Cha in Australia ---- What is the Shanghainese word/s for this delightful type of food?

[Gary Soup]

Dim Sum in the South, Dian Xin in the North, Yum Cha in Australia ---- What is the Shanghainese word/s for this delightful type of food?

Something like "di xin" (Shanghainese don't like final "n's" in some contexts).

[herbacidal]

Hong Kong Bank, originally called "Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank", was moved from Shanghai to Hong Kong because of the revolution.

Edited July 10, 2004 by herbacidal (log)

[hzrt8w]

It's still called Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank - at least it is here in Hong Kong - it might be different overseas.

I apologize. I may have incorrectly thought that they had changed their name. But outside Hong Kong (perhaps just in USA), they are simply regarded as "Hong Kong Bank" more than HSBC.

Hong Kong Bank

[jo-mel]

BLACK PEPPER SAUCE

Ingredients: 

1 scallion, finely minced

½ tsp. minced ginger

1 cup chicken broth

1 ½ Tbsp. sherry

1 Tbsp. light soy sauce

1 tsp. or more black pepper (to taste)

salt (opt.)

½ tsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Preparation and Cooking:

--Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and mix well.

--Bring to a boil, while stirring.

--Cook while stirring until thick and bubbly.

--Combine with stir/fried meat and vegetables.

Jo-Mel: Your black pepper sauce is close. I would add onion, garlic, a few mashed black beans (fermented), and some tomato sauce/paste.

As for the process, I would:

- First heat up the pan with oil. Add onion and garlic and ginger and scallion to saute for a minute.

- Then dash in the sherry or vinegar

- Then add black beans, black pepper and everything else except cornstarch, cook to boil

- Finally add cornstarch to thicken the sauce

- Combine with meat/vege.

Thanks for the suggestions! I think they will give the sauce more depth. The sauce I had at one restaurant did have a touch of vinegar in it, I'm sure and the color was not just soy brown. I will edit the recipe in my files.

The dish at that restaurant (mostly Chinese diners) was Sizzling Skewered Oysters in Black Pepper Sauce and really is good! I get it whenever I go there. The first time I had it, I asked what kind of oysters were used. They were big, succulent and very tasty. The waiter said they came from a can!!! Surprised me!!!

I often get a 'sandy pot oyster casserole' in NYC's Chinatown, and I assume they are canned also. No matter. I will still order it as it is a wonderful dish.

[hzrt8w]

The dish at that restaurant (mostly Chinese diners) was Sizzling Skewered Oysters in Black Pepper Sauce and really is good! I get it whenever I go there. The first time I had it, I asked what kind of oysters were used. They were big, succulent and very tasty. The waiter said they came from a can!!! Surprised me!!!

Your story surprised me. The only kind of oysters in can that I had was cooked, ready to serve small oysters.

I bet you that he meant it's from a jar (not a can). They do sell oysters in glass jars with a tin cap on top (filled with water, chilled). This is very different from oyster in cans.

Black Pepper sauce goes exceptionally well with onions, green bell peppers and a few slices of chili pepper (or jarapeno). So first use oil (high heat) to sautee the onions, garlic and chili pepper first, add fermented black beans, then dash in wine or vinegar, then add green bell peppers, then add ground black pepper, tomato paste, chicken broth and the rest of it. Bring to a boil. Use corn starch slurry to thicken sauce if needed.

It always makes me hungry writing recipes...

[Jeannie]

posted by mistake!

Edited July 11, 2004 by Jeannie (log)

[Jeannie]

Dim Sum in the South, Dian Xin in the North, Yum Cha in Australia    ----  What is the Shanghainese word/s for this delightful type of food?

Something like "di xin" (Shanghainese don't like final "n's" in some contexts).

I don't think dian xin/ dim sum in shanghai is defined as stringently as hzrt8w says it is is HK. Anything which is a "snack" is called dian xin in Shanghai, including street food. Although in banquets there is a course called dian xin served in the middle of the big dishes, these could be various savoury pastries for example savoury mooncakes. Which in Shanghai consists of a puff pastry type of casing with minced pork filling.

Listening to my parents these were the only types of mooncakes originally served in Shanghai. In Shanghai, the mooncakes with red bean paste, lotus paste fillings etc are called cantonese mooncakes.

[Gary Soup]

Although in  banquets there is a course called dian xin served in the middle of the big dishes, these could be various savoury pastries for example savoury mooncakes.  Which in Shanghai consists of a puff pastry type of casing with minced pork filling. 

Someone once told me that the meat-filled moon cakes were called "Suzhou moon cakes". The everyday dian xin equivalent might be the ones called something like "ha ko an", for "crab-shaped dumplings."

Shanghainese will queue up to buy Cantonese-style (but usually with a simple sweet paste filing, not the many add-ins that Cantonese here in SF seem to like) mooncakes. The longest queues are at Xinghualou, whoic has the most cachet. But in fact, they don't like to eat them, they like to give them away. And of course, the people they give them to will thank them profusely and then give them to someone else. It's a bit like Americans and Christmas fruitcake.

[Typo corrected]

Edited July 12, 2004 by Gary Soup (log)

[Ben Hong]

I am one of those poor wretches who actually love moon cakes, especially the ones with lotus paste and a big honking salt egg yoke in the middle. I understand eating a lot of mooncakes will make you doctor rich.

[Dejah]

I look forward to mooncakes. Guess you can call me a "poor wretche" 'cos I usually search out the double yolk ones.

Superstore usually carries the tins of 4 large cakes or 8 small ones. A week after the festival date, they usually go on sale...so I buy more and put them in the freezer.

Only one of my 3 kids enjoy them, except for the egg yolk.

I remember my mom used to make them herself, in the late 50sn when they were not available. Saw Chef Michael Smith do an episode on Chef At Large, in Vancouver.

He visited a Chinese cooking school where the students were learning how to make moon cakes. I'd love to get my hands on some of those "shape paddles".

Mom used a salmon tin.

[Gary Soup]

I'd love to get my hands on some of those "shape paddles".

Mom used a salmon tin. 

They're available in San Francisco. Other shops (Gin Wall?) may be cheaper, but the Wok Shop has them available online. The WS also has the Chinese "moon cookie" molds.

The cookie molds look like this:

Wok Shop Website

[Dejah]

Thanks Gary. More gadgets for my kitchen!

[stephenc]

I'm still waiting for the Chicken foot cheesesteak.

[rjwong]

Here's the article from Reuters:

A study in Hong Kong has found the tiny, mouthwatering Chinese snacks are high in fat and sodium and excessive consumption will increase the risk of obesity.

All you dim sum eaters, is this getting too personal?

[SuzySushi]

Sheesh! Is nothing sacred?

Excessive consumption of almost anything can cause obesity...

It would have been more useful if the report divided dim sum into steamed vs. fried items, for instance.