Yum Cha !

When I moved to NY years ago, the first Cantonese phrases learned were "yum cha" and "dim sum". Sunday mornings were spent in Chinatown's dim sum restaurants where my family and I would sample an assortment of treats served fresh from the carts.

image by mojoaxel

When we go "yum cha", which literally means "drink tea," we refer to the custom of the Cantonese brunch where folks enjoy dim sum while sipping Chinese tea. "Dim sum" means "to touch your heart" and it comprises of a variety of steamed, baked, and fried dishes. Some dim sum staples include the "har gao", a steamed shrimp and bamboo shoots dumpling, "shao mai," a steamed pork and mushroom dumpling garnished with roe or carrots, "cheong fun," steamed rice noodles filled with shrimp or beef, "char siu bao," a steamed or baked roast pork bun, and "lo bak gao," daikon radish cakes with dried shrimp and pork sausage that are steamed and then sliced for pan-frying.

Har Gow by jslander	Ton Kiang: Shrimp and Pork Dumplings by biskuit
Shrimp and Snap Peas in Rice Noodles by jslander	bbq pork bao by jslander

A little nostalgia and a passion for food and baking has inspired me to recreate and share the dim sum experience on this blog. Enjoy!