By Wai Chan

I've been away from home-base for the last week, which means that I haven't been able to visit any of the local establishments thus far.  So I've decided to change things up a bit for this week's article of Eating it up in the Cariboo. Instead of reviewing a restaurant I've decided to make this week’s column into an informal tutorial, so to speak.  Today's topic is all about dim sum.

In Cantonese, dim sum is literally translated as ‘touching the heart’.  It usually consists of various types of dumplings and small dishes of all types of savoury meats and buns.  One goes to ‘yum cha’ to eat dim sum.  Translated, yum cha is ‘drinking tea’ and it is ideally a brunch event with friends and family.

Yum cha is a pretty hectic time of day for restaurants which specialize in dim sum.  The whole place becomes loud and busy, and be prepared to bump elbows with your neighbours.  Once seated, you're asked to pick the tea of your choice, which the whole table will share.  Today, we chose chrysanthemum.  Now watch where you sit… the one sitting closest to the tea pot gets to pour tea, first for everyone, then last for themselves.  And there's no need to say thanks... just bend your index and middle finger to the first knuckles and tap gently on the table next to your little cup.  This lil movement symbolises you bowing your thanks to the pourer.

So you and your gang have secured a table and the tea is poured… now what?  Well, now you just relax, gossip and slowly savour the bits of food that are about to be delivered to the table.  In the olden days ladies would push carts full of food around the dining room, voices loud and selling their wares at each table they pass.  Nowadays a lot of restaurants have turned away from that and utilize paper checklists that you dutifully fill out.  Ladies and gentlemen, please do not mistake this for an all-you-can-eat event, each dish is charged individually!  Mind you, the prices are usually quite nominal, especially when split amongst the number of people at each table.

Now that we have the basic etiquette out of the way, let's have a look at what I had with my family today shall we?

Probably the most well-known dim sum dish is the ha-gow, which is a dumpling made out of a translucent, wheat starch wrapper filled with huge chunks of prawns.  Most would judge a restaurant's overall dim sum excellence by how their ha-gows look and taste.  Succulence is the key here, as well as texture.  You want a ha-gow with nice chunks of prawns that has a nice crisp bite to it, and not something that resembles pulverized paste.  And everyone knows that a properly made ha-gow should have no less than 10 pleats on its wrapper surface… right?

Siu-mai is a pork dumpling that is to ha-gows as pepper is to salt... they just go hand in hand.  Ours had a bit of prawn in it, and it's wrapped in a thicker wrapper that's been topped with a bit of mushroom and crab roe.

Then we have my favourite category: the rice rolls.  These are steamed and the rolls are melt-in-your-mouth smooth.  One is filled with chopped beef, and the other is wrapped around Chinese donuts, which is dough, slightly salted, that’s been fried into the shape of skinny logs.  Both are topped with a sweetened soy sauce, but the Chinese donut version is also served with a side of a sweet peanut and hoisin sauce.  Crispy and smooth, salty and sweet, hot and cold… this dish is a classic example of how the Cantonese people like to incorporate yin and yang ideologies into their food.

Then, in no particular order, the rest of our food arrived.  There is shrimp meat stuffed into Japanese eggplants, which is shaped more like purple cucumbers and is milder and fleshier than our friendly aubergine.  These have been pan fried and served with a savoury sauce made with black beans.  Then came a dish composed of fish paste that has been wrapped in bean curd and pan fried as well.  This is one of my Mom's favourite, and the bummalo was Dad's pick.  Bummalo is classified as a small lizardfish, and a popular way to prepare it is with a light dusting of flour and deep fried, then stir-fried together with garlic and jalapenos.  Next is the braised beef tendon, which is tender to chew with an ever-so slight cartilaginous texture that's got a nice spicy heat and is absolutely delicious!

Now wait… I can see you cringing (really, I can!)  Please don't let any of the non-traditional cuts of meat dissuade you from ordering!  Phoenix talons (chicken feet), omasum (ruminant stomach lining), and tripe (regular animal stomach lining) is much *MUCH* tastier than they sound!  I promise you this… Now is the time for your palate to be adventurous!  Of course, it’s not required that you order something weird and funky… although eating something -unique- must be somewhere on that bucket list of yours!

Anyways, off my soapbox now and to finish off our meal we had egg custard tarts.  These tasty morsels are made of a very flaky crust which is achieved by layering two different types of dough together.  Then it is filled with a sweet egg filling which is very similar to a flan.  Two bites are all you need to finish one.

Throughout our meal the teapot needed to be refilled several times, and you silently indicate this to the waiter by balancing the lid on top of the body and handle of the pot.  Try this and within minutes the pot will be whisked away, only to be returned full of piping hot water.  And all the dim sum dishes come out in small bamboo steamers or hot plates, and it is served family style.  Be careful not to let the small sizes of food deceive you... it may not seem like a heck of a lot of food, but believe me, you get filled up fast!

Well boys and girls, that’s it for my introduction to you into the wonderful world that is dim sum and the experience that is known as yum cha.  Now be sure to try it out on your next visit down to the coast!  Phoenix talons are optional of course.

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