Dim sum

Dim sum, it bring back memories. Haven't had some in ages. Should try to find my way to Chinatowm during lunch hour soon. Or I could make some. Nah it takes for ever


My favourites, hard question to answer. I do like siu mai and the shrimp dumpling, har gau. Of them all the beef dumpling that is pan fried is the one I like best. Shrimp balls are pretty good too. The crab on a piece of cane sugar is hard to find but so tasty. And the pearl balls and sticky rice package...think it's time to get the Dim Sum Cokkbook out.

Gosh, I haven't had any dim sum since... I can't remember! The last time was at least 8 years ago at Three Happiness on the corner of Cermack and Wentworth in Chicago's Chinatown. (It's the Three Happiness on the corner, and the dim sum are served at lunch downstairs.) I have no frame of reference for good or bad product, but I loved the strange, gooey dumplings coated with sesame seeds and filled with sweet bean paste. I also love the ribs and a meatball called Lion's Head, I believe. I'll eat darn near anything in a won ton wrapper, steamed or fried. I make some pretty good sui mai myself, and the ones I ate at TH were very good. If there's a good place for dim sum in Milwaukee, I don't know about it yet.

[This message has been edited by Mezzaluna (edited 01-03-2001).]

Come on guys, we're here because we love to cook, right?

You guys can make many dim sum dishes in no time! I just made siu mai last night, good for three sittings!

funnily enough, i drank until everything was blurry and a magical yum cha came out, somewhat like the mad hatters tea party - but im still underweight.

cchiu, what do you mean for three sittings? Those are ground pork/shrimp dumplings to be steamed, right? So they wouldn't keep just refrigerated for very long.

Do you freeze your siu mai?

Also, cchiu: what recipe do you use for the accompanying dipping sauce? Please enlighten.

No problem freezing siu mai, wonton or any dim sum except for the rice noodle dough. One of the best dipping sauces is made with chopped ginger, Chinese black vinegar and mushroom soy but there are hundreds of different combinations. Just use your imagination.

I love gyoza and the little dipping sauce they serve with it. Haven't had those for the longest time.

Live_to_cook

I have a dim sum cookbook, there are a few recipes for sauce if you're interested let me know and I'll opst them.

Live to cook,

You can make them ahead of time and freeze them (tightly wrapped), just steam them 3 minutes longer. (Or, if you haven't had them in a while, you can eat them for dinner and breakfast and lunch )

I'll post recipes when I have more time.

Nick.Shu,

Strange to see the context in which you used "yum cha" = "drink tea". More correct to use "magical cha"....

Gyoza are good, but possibly addictive. Two friends and I used to stop in any little restaurant that served them on the way home from school (in Tokyo). Our record was 17 orders apiece (6 per order, you do the math). The best I can do now is two.

cchiu, Sisi, I look forward to the recipes. Thank you.

I know there's plenty of recipes for dipping sauce, and I've tried a half dozen seeking that quality that Chinese restaurants get. It's a missing ingredient; I figure if I see enough recipes I can figure it out.

Black vinegar, that's a bottle I don't have, maybe that's it. What's it taste like?

Also: how, generally, do gyoza differ from standard Chinese potsticker?

[This message has been edited by Live_to_cook (edited 01-04-2001).]

If you're in a Japanese restaurant, you call them gyoza. If you're in a Chinese restaurant, you call them potstickers. There might be some slight differences in the dipping sauce (in Japan, there are sesame seeds in it), but, other than that, same thing.

I love Dim Sum.....The coolest place I've had dim sum was in Los Angeles in their chinatown type area....this restaurant was a happenstance, white linen with rolling hot cooking carts. They cooked rapini in boiling chicken stock in front of you or sauteed rice noodle with hoisin, meat and green onions. As well as trolly carts. It's been 15 years and I don't remember the name....but I remember it was a cool restaurant. And it was over a really neat store....clean white tile with loads of live critters and Asian ethnic goodies I'd not seen before and I'd looked in many places by that time.
Pot stickers are so wonderful...do you guys put dried shrimp in with your pork?
My eldest son got the strangest order of unidentfied when he was 4 years old....grey gelantinous and cylindrical, never seen it before or since...I was too chicken to try it. Though I do **** the feet, don't eat the web though.

Scallion Oil

3 bunches of scallions, washed, dried, ends cut off, each scallion cut into 4 pieces
3 cups of peanut oil


Heat wok over medium heat. Add peanut oil, then add scallions. When the scallions turn brown, the oil is done. Strain the oil through a fine strainer into a bowl and allow it to cool to room temperature.

Pour the scallion oil into a glass jar and refrigerate until needed.


Sweet Scallion Sauce

1/4 cup scallion oil
1/2 cup dark soy sauce
3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons cold water.


Heat wok over medium heat. Pour in scallion oil, soy sauce, sugar and water. Stir clockwise (what would happen if you stir counter clockwise??) until all ingredients are mixed thoroughly and begin to boil. Turn off the heat. Pour sauce into a bowl and allow it to cool to room temperature.

Pour the sauce into a glass jar and refrigerate until needed.


Hot Oil

1/2 cup dried hot pepper flakes
3/4 cup peanut oil
3/4 cup sesame oil

Place all ingredients in a large jar and mix well. Close the jar tightly and place in a cool dark place for 1 week, to allow the ingredients to blend. The oil will then be ready for use. It will keep indefinitely refrigerated.


Vinegar Soy Sauce

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons hot oil
1 tablespoon finely sliced scallions
1/4 cup chicken broth

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well. Allow the mixture to marinate for 30 minutes, then place in small soy sauce dishes for serving.


Ginger Soy Sauce

1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon scallion oil
3 tablespoons chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons shredded fresh gingerroot
1 1/2 tablespoons sliced white portion of scallion
a generous pinch of white pepper


Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well. Allow to stand for 1/2 hour, then serve in soy sauce dishes.


More tommorow....

Garlic Oil

1 1/4 cups peanut oil
1 1/3 cups garlic (4 bulbs)peeled, thinly sliced

Heat wok over high heat for 30 seconds. Add the peanut oil and the garlic and stir. Lower heat to medium and bring to a boil. Lower heat to low and allow to cook for 10 minutes or until the garlic turns light brown.

Turn off the heat and allow to cool sufficiently to place in a glass jar. This will keep for about 4 weeks at room temperature and indefinitely if refrigerated.


Garlic Pepper Sauce


1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
3/4 teaspoon soaked hot pepper flakes (See hot oil)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons Shao-Hsing wine or sherry
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons scallions, green portion, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons minced red sweet pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth


Mix all ingredients. Allow to rest, in order to blend, for 1 hour before using.

Will keep 10 days if refrigerated.


Hot Mustard

This is simply made by mixing equal amounts of mustard powder and cold tap water. Some prefer replacing the tap water with white distilled vinegar.


Curry Sauce


1 cup chicken broth
2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder (madras brand preferred)
1 1/2 tablespoons tapioca flour mixed with 1 1/2 tablespoons cold water


Place the chicken broth in a saucepan. Stir in the curry powder until it dissolves. Turn on the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Stir the tapioca flour-water mixture, then pour into saucepan. Quickly stir and mix and bring back to a boil. Turn off heat. Place in preheated sauceboat and serve.

Note: If you prefer your curry hotter, add 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the broth when you add the curry powder.


Sweet And Sour Sauce


1/4 cup water
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup cold water
1/4 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 teaspoons tapioca flour mixed with 3 1/2 teaspoons cold water

In a saucepan place all ingredients except tapioca flour-water mixture. Stir making certain the salt and sugar dissolve and the mixture is well blended. Over medium heat bring to a boil, stirring several times. Stir the tapioca flour-water mixture, then pour into saucepan. Quickly stir well and allow to come to a boil. Turn off heat. Place in preheated sauceboat and serve.


Red Oil

3/4 cup peanut oil
3 tablespoons cayenne pepper powder (Make certain you buy cayenne that is bright orange-red in colour, which denotes freshness. Old cayenne is dull in colour.)

Heat wok over high heat for 30 seconds. Add the peanut oil and lower heat to low. Add the cayenne and stir well to mix. With heat still on low, allow the mixture to cook until you see wisps of smoke rising from the wok. Stir occasionally during the cooking so that the cayenne does not stick to the bottom of the wok, clot and burn. It will not dissolve.

Turn off the heat and allow to cool sufficiently to place in a glass jar. This will keep for about 4 weeks at room temperature and indefinitely if refrigerated. The jar must be closed.


Vinegar Ginger Dip


1 tablespoon Chinkikang vinegar (or sherry wine vinegar)
6 tablespoons cold water
1 1/2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons shredded ginger

Mix vinegar, water, soy sauce and sugar well, until sugar dissolves. Add ginger. Allow to stand for 1 hour before serving.

Garlic Oil

1 1/4 cups peanut oil
1 1/3 cups garlic (4 bulbs)peeled, thinly sliced

Heat wok over high heat for 30 seconds. Add the peanut oil and the garlic and stir. Lower heat to medium and bring to a boil. Lower heat to low and allow to cook for 10 minutes or until the garlic turns light brown.

Turn off the heat and allow to cool sufficiently to place in a glass jar. This will keep for about 4 weeks at room temperature and indefinitely if refrigerated.


Garlic Pepper Sauce


1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
3/4 teaspoon soaked hot pepper flakes (See hot oil)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons Shao-Hsing wine or sherry
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons scallions, green portion, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons minced red sweet pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth


Mix all ingredients. Allow to rest, in order to blend, for 1 hour before using.

Will keep 10 days if refrigerated.


Hot Mustard

This is simply made by mixing equal amounts of mustard powder and cold tap water. Some prefer replacing the tap water with white distilled vinegar.


Curry Sauce


1 cup chicken broth
2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder (madras brand preferred)
1 1/2 tablespoons tapioca flour mixed with 1 1/2 tablespoons cold water


Place the chicken broth in a saucepan. Stir in the curry powder until it dissolves. Turn on the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Stir the tapioca flour-water mixture, then pour into saucepan. Quickly stir and mix and bring back to a boil. Turn off heat. Place in preheated sauceboat and serve.

Note: If you prefer your curry hotter, add 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the broth when you add the curry powder.


Sweet And Sour Sauce


1/4 cup water
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup cold water
1/4 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 teaspoons tapioca flour mixed with 3 1/2 teaspoons cold water

In a saucepan place all ingredients except tapioca flour-water mixture. Stir making certain the salt and sugar dissolve and the mixture is well blended. Over medium heat bring to a boil, stirring several times. Stir the tapioca flour-water mixture, then pour into saucepan. Quickly stir well and allow to come to a boil. Turn off heat. Place in preheated sauceboat and serve.


Red Oil

3/4 cup peanut oil
3 tablespoons cayenne pepper powder (Make certain you buy cayenne that is bright orange-red in colour, which denotes freshness. Old cayenne is dull in colour.)

Heat wok over high heat for 30 seconds. Add the peanut oil and lower heat to low. Add the cayenne and stir well to mix. With heat still on low, allow the mixture to cook until you see wisps of smoke rising from the wok. Stir occasionally during the cooking so that the cayenne does not stick to the bottom of the wok, clot and burn. It will not dissolve.

Turn off the heat and allow to cool sufficiently to place in a glass jar. This will keep for about 4 weeks at room temperature and indefinitely if refrigerated. The jar must be closed.


Vinegar Ginger Dip


1 tablespoon Chinkikang vinegar (or sherry wine vinegar)
6 tablespoons cold water
1 1/2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons shredded ginger

Mix vinegar, water, soy sauce and sugar well, until sugar dissolves. Add ginger. Allow to stand for 1 hour before serving.