Another day of more movement freedom, another opportunity to experience food experiences that I have been missing so much after so many months of movement control. Yesterday night, I was hungry and was in the mood for late night steaming hot snack. Chinese Dim Sum (点心) came into mind. One of the best down to earth budget places to eat authentic Chinese Cantonese Dim Sum not too far from me is Sing Pao Dim Sum (https://goo.gl/maps/GkPyzp9whEo6v1En9 ). It’s a no frills, honest, authentic, hand made Dim Sum place. For friends who are not familiar, Dim Sum (or Tian Sin 点心 in Mandarin Chinese) basically means small parcels of food to touch the heart. And it’s a part of Chinese Yum Char (tea drinking) culture, and can be enjoyed any part of the day nowadays.
[Picture below] - Down to earth, small shop by the road side, no parking, just park at the road side and sit at a table. The place is open air, so much less risk for any Covid infection. Of course, nowadays the standard operating procedure is to log in for contact tracing, and to have temperature taken. When I got here, staffs were busy manning the store. Staffs and customers were required to wear face masks, except when eating, with social distancing.
[Picture below] - Since I was alone, I ordered one large meat steamed bun or Bao, known as a 包子 Bāozi in Mandarin. It’s a fully steamed bun stuffed with marinated meat and a slice of egg. Very delicious when eaten hot. This is one of the most popular forms of Dim Sum.
[Picture below] - A Dim Sum meal is not complete without the quintessential Siumai also known as 烧卖 Shāomai in Mandarin Chinese. It’s a parcel of meal, wrapped in thin flour wrappers, exposed at the top, and topped with Shrimp/Crab roe. Very deliciously chewy and fulfilling.
[Picture below] - When at a Dim Sum food place, another must order is the steamed rice rolls or also known as 肠粉 Cháng fěn or Cheung Fan. This has a very interesting preparation method, if you can experience it, go watch in the shop. Usually it’s wrapped containing meat or shrimp. Very soft and delicious.
[Picture below] - And finally for me, a fried option, just to add in the crispy texture. This is one of people’s favorite. A fried taro dumpling stuffed with meat. Known as 芋角 Yù jiǎo or Wu Kok. Very crisply delicious when eaten hot.
Eating Dim Sum, must always be accompanied by hot Chinese style tea (diluted black tea without sugar). That makes the experience of the Yum Char (tea drinking) complete.
Have you had Dim Sum lately? Share your own experiences in a post under the “Food and Drink” section of Connect.
