Asian street food is an unstoppable trend. Recall the gastronomic revelry that is experienced in all the countries of the Far East in front of stalls and carts that prepare simple but very tasty and well-priced recipes at lightning speed. The queen preparation of Cantonese street cuisine, dim sum, has made its way onto Western tables and is now almost as popular as hummus, which is also an “adopted child”, in this case from the Middle East.
Dim sum –which have endless versions– are, in short, dumplings. Although they can take different forms (bundles, crests, rolls, stars), the important thing is how they are cooked. Basically, steamed, baked, fried or grilled. As for the fillings, following the basic Chinese principle that everything that runs, crawls or flies goes into the pot, there are no taboos.
In restaurants, the most appreciated dim sums are usually those that are prepared by steaming, which require having the classic bamboo container and some patience. Fried or grilled, these empanadas take on a crunchy texture.
Steamed dim sum should look rubbery and translucent, so you can tell what the filling is made of. In the province of Canton and nearby Hong Kong and Macao they are the most appreciated snacks, and they are eaten with a protocol that has little to do with what we western barbarians practice. This is the correct way: dip the base of the dim sum in the sauce brought to the effect in a separate bowl; next, deposit the empanada on a spoon, open the wrapper slightly and with an additional teaspoon, pour more sauce inside. From there, delicately eat the bundle in small bites.
If they could, the Orientals would send those who eat dim sum with a knife and fork instead of chopsticks to burn in eternal fire. And also to those who swallow them at once. They are a delicacy, you have to devour them with subtlety.
The nomenclature of dim sum is very extensive and refers to the shape they have, the preparation and even the filling: dim sum, dumplings, shaomai, hakao, xiao long bao, chiu-chao fan guo… In our country only very Specialists entertain themselves in clarifying to the diner the difference, which lies in whether the dough is made of wheat or rice flour, what it contains and many etceteras.
What you should not do is confuse dim sum with the increasingly popular gyozas, which are Japanese and are lightly fried after steaming, to obtain a mixed rubbery-crunchy texture. In China, dim sum is invariably accompanied with tea. In fact, a large teapot is served in the center of the table and is refilled as many times as necessary.
As for the empanadillas, the popular places, those in which the diners sit at large community tables, usually have itinerant waiters who drive carts filled with steamers, and offer dim sum of different flavors, textures, and presentations. On a piece of paper that is on the table, they write down what each group chooses, to collect exactly. A system similar to the one that once reigned in the Basque Country, where the remaining chopsticks were counted next to a diner to find out how many pintxos had been consumed.
To dare with dim sum at home you don’t have to be a space engineer. It is proceeded in the same way as with the traditional homemade dumplings. You just have to look for a supermarket of oriental products and buy specific wafers. But you will have to have a bamboo steamer, which is what guarantees the characteristic texture and flavor. A soy sauce mixed with chili flakes and lime zest can make a simple and effective dressing.
At the moment, in our latitude, sweet dim sums have not gained as much popularity as salty ones. But there are, and also in multiple variants, containing sesame, sugar mixed with ginger or grated coconut. And even a variant that emerged in Macao – the influence of the Portuguese colony – that are surprisingly similar to the Lisbon pastéis de Belém.
