Okay, so today I’m sharing my dim sum adventure! I’ve always loved eating dim sum, but making it myself? That seemed intimidating. But hey, gotta try, right?
First, I googled “hong kong dim sum recipes.” I wanted something that wasn’t crazy complicated. Found a few different recipes for har gow (shrimp dumplings) and siu mai (pork dumplings) that looked doable.
Then, the shopping trip! I swear, half the ingredients I’d never even heard of. Bamboo shoots? Water chestnuts? Luckily, the Asian market down the street had everything. My wallet cried a little.
Next, prep work. This took FOREVER. Chopping, mincing, dicing…my hands were screaming. The har gow filling was mostly shrimp, some bamboo shoots, and seasonings. The siu mai was ground pork, shrimp, mushrooms, and a bunch of other stuff. Honestly, I just followed the recipes I found online.
Making the dough for the har gow was probably the hardest part. It’s a wheat starch dough, and it’s super sticky and weird to work with. I watched a bunch of YouTube videos to get the hang of it. Still didn’t look as pretty as the pros, but whatever.
Assembling the dumplings was a mission. The har gow were especially tough because the dough kept cracking. The siu mai were easier – just stuff the filling into a wrapper and pinch it a bit. They looked kinda lumpy, but I figured they’d taste okay.
Now, the steaming part. I have a bamboo steamer, which I felt was essential for the ~authentic~ experience. Steamed the har gow for about 8 minutes and the siu mai for 12.
Finally, the taste test! The har gow were…okay. The dough was a little chewy, but the shrimp filling was good. The siu mai were actually pretty tasty! They weren’t perfect, but definitely edible. I even dipped them in some soy sauce and chili oil for extra flavor.
Lessons learned: Dim sum is hard work! I have a newfound respect for the people who make it every day. Also, practice makes perfect. I’m definitely going to try again, and maybe next time they’ll actually look like they came from a restaurant.
Would I do it again? Yeah, probably! It was a fun challenge, and now I can say I made my own dim sum. Plus, homemade always tastes better, right?
- Things I’d do differently next time:
- Be more patient with the dough.
- Find a better har gow dough recipe.
- Maybe try making char siu bao (BBQ pork buns) next!
So, that’s my dim sum adventure. It was messy, time-consuming, and a little frustrating, but ultimately worth it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go eat some more dumplings.
