What is Dim Sum? The easiest way for me to describe it would be to call it Chinese tapas or hors d’oeuvres.
Growing up in a small town in Southwest Virginia, I had never heard of dim sum until I moved to Atlanta. Then I was introduced to the steamy, tasty goodness that is served in traditional Chinese restaurants here (and around the world).
Dim sum originated as a Cantonese custom, that is linked to the Chinese tradition of drinking tea “yum cha.” Dim sum first appeared in the tea houses along the famous Silk Road. Weary travelers and farmers would come to the tea houses for tea, food and conversation.
Dim sum is usually served during the late morning through the early afternoon. It is thought by some people that dim sum inspired the idea of brunch.
When you go out to get dim sum, instead of ordering fro a menu, you will see that the food is wheeled around on carts. The food is generally grouped together on carts so that the steamed items are on one cart, the fried and baked on another, soups on another and finally desserts.
The order that the dim sum will be presented to you will be soup (usually congee), steamed items, fried & baked items, then finally dessert. Dim sum is a great to go to with a group of people, or at least with another person. This way, you can sample more dishes without filling up on a couple.
Here’s our delicious spread of dim sum: Ribs, Char siu bao (steamed buns), lotus leaf wraps, shu mai and shrimp dumplings
One of our favorite dim sum items is the lotus leaf wrap. It is a very popular dim sum dish made by steaming lotus leaves that are filled with sticky rice, chinese sausage, black mushrooms and other various vegetables. When you open the lotus leaf up, the rice looks like this:
And then you use your chopsticks to break open the rice, and the yummy (other) ingredients are found inside.
And there’s another one of my personal favorites, the turnip cake! Despite its name, the turnip cake is not made from turnips, this dim sum dish made of shredded Chinese radish and rice flour. It is steamed, then pan-fried before serving.
Two of our favorite dim sum spots in Atlanta are:
Canton House Chinese Restaurant
4825 Buford Highway
Chamblee, GA 30341-3618
(770) 936-9030
Asia House
11950 Jones Bridge Rd # 108
Alpharetta, GA 30005
(770) 752-9922
What are your favorite dim sum spots in your city?
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I still haven’t gotten the hang of dim sum. I think it’s an acquired taste.
The only ones I like so far are…. the football shaped ones. What’s the name for that?
Football shaped – are they steamed? If so, they are probably pot stickers or dumplings.
My dad would always make similar items so I ate this stuff growing up, especially the sticky rice and the turnip cakes.
We tend to steer clear of the more exotic items, like, chicken feet… not quite ready for that yet, haha.