Alright, let me tell you about my dim sum adventure from this weekend. It was pretty epic, if I do say so myself. I’ve been wanting to try making dim sum at home for ages, and I finally took the plunge.
First, I did a ton of research. I watched, like, a million YouTube videos and read a bunch of recipes online. I was aiming for classic stuff: shrimp dumplings (har gow), pork siu mai, and maybe some steamed barbecue pork buns (char siu bao). Figured I’d start simple, you know?
Then came the shopping. Went to the Asian market and stocked up on everything. Rice flour, tapioca starch, ground pork, shrimp, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts… the whole shebang. My kitchen looked like a dim sum explosion happened.
Har Gow Hustle:
- The har gow were the toughest. That translucent skin? A nightmare! The recipe said to mix the rice flour and tapioca starch with boiling water and then knead it into a dough. Sounded easy enough. It wasn’t. The dough was sticky and kept tearing.
- I eventually got something resembling a dough, rested it, and then tried to roll it out. It was still a mess. They looked kinda ugly, but I was determined. I filled them with a shrimp, bamboo shoot, and ginger mixture and steamed them.
- They tasted amazing, even if they looked like they’d been through a war. The texture was a bit chewier than what you get in a restaurant, but hey, first try!
Siu Mai Situation:
- The siu mai were way easier. I mixed ground pork with some soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and chopped water chestnuts. Super simple.
- I used wonton wrappers for the siu mai “skin.” I know, not authentic, but it saved a ton of time. I just shaped them into little cups, filled them with the pork mixture, and topped them with a tiny piece of shrimp.
- Steamed those bad boys for about 15 minutes, and they were perfect! Juicy, flavorful, and way less stressful than the har gow.
Char Siu Bao Challenge:
- Okay, the char siu bao were an all-day project. Making the dough was simple enough, but the waiting for it to rise? Forever!
- For the filling, I bought some pre-made char siu (barbecue pork) from the Asian market. Diced it up and mixed it with a sweet and savory sauce.
- Shaping the buns was tricky. I ended up with some that looked like they belonged in a cartoon – all wonky shapes. Steamed them, and they puffed up nicely.
- The taste? SO good! Soft, fluffy buns with that sweet and savory pork filling. Definitely worth the effort.
In the end, it was a super fun day in the kitchen. My dim sum didn’t look perfect, but they tasted incredible. Plus, I learned a ton and now have a serious craving to try even more dim sum recipes. Next time, I’m tackling soup dumplings! Wish me luck!
Cleaning up was a mission, by the way. Flour everywhere! But totally worth it for that dim sum feast.