6 Dim Sum Dishes You Might Not Know

We are all in love with the Chinese cuisine and familiar with Dim Sum houses, but you can't call yourself a dim sum expert if you haven't tried these dishes

We all love Chinese cuisine and have already been to a Chinese restaurant for at least one time in our life. Do you think that you are a dim sum expert? Here are 6 dishes that you might not know about.

Luo Bo Gao/Turnip Cake

This is a very traditional dish served in Dim Sum houses. With the crunchiness outside blending with the tenderness of the flour inside, the Luo Bo Gao really brings out the flavor of the freshly picked radish. The Luo Bo Gao often has some dried shrimp inside, sometimes mushroom. If you enjoy fried eggs, you can always ask for an extra egg with it. You can either choose the fried or steamed Luo Bo Gao.

Steamed Sticky Rice Wrapped In Lotus Leaf

If you want to be a true dim sum expect, this is incredible dim sum expect dish. This steamed sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf is also known as the shorter name: Lo mai gai. Inside the green lotus leaf is the sticky rice stuffed with chicken, mushroom, sometimes beans, Chinese sausage, and the most important ingredient: a salted egg. It’s like a little present for yourself when opening it. The fragrance of the lotus mix with the smell of steamed rice leaves you an unbearable feeling.

Char Siu Bao

Well, you all must call Ha Gow whenever going to a dim sum house, but have you heard of Char Siu Bao? A perfect dim sum dish in every dim sum expert’s meal. The word “bao” means “bun” while “char siu” is the barbeque pork meat in Cantonese cuisine. Char siu is carefully marinated in honey, five-spice powder, hoisin, dark soy sauce. The lightly sweet and savory taste of the roasted pork inside the bun will make you remember forever. It is never enough for Char Siu Bao. Upgrade becoming a dim sum expert with this dish right away!

Xiao Long Bao

Xiao Long Bao is the most famous dumpling in the dumpling world, it’s also known as the king of dumpling. Going to a dim sum house, this is a dim sum expect dish on the table. The specialty of Xiao Long Bao is the soup inside. The savory soup and pork meat wrapped inside a thin layer of dumpling skin probably make you surprise with just one bite. Be careful whenever you eat it because the soup inside is still maintaining hot.

Shu Mai

For a dim sum expert, Shu Mai, or Shao Mai is one of the most regular Dim Sum dishes, however, when I showed it to my Western friend, they all surprised with this small, yellow and shaped in a cube dumpling. Of course, this dish has different version depends on where it comes from, but the most well-known version is the Cantonese Shu Mai which is described above. The shaped and decoration might vary depends on its region. It is not only famous in China, but also in other Asian countries like Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Philippine.

Rice Noodles Roll

Also known as “cheung fen”, it is a classic dish. Every dim sum expert chooses this dish most of the time they go out to eat. The thin rice noodles roll is filled with shrimp, beef, or vegetables. When the dish is served in Cantonese cuisine, we normally see it bathing in soy sauce. However, if you are traveling to Hong Kong, Malaysia or Singapore, you will see the plain cheaung fen being served in soy sauce, hoisin and sesame sauce. You can also see a ‘wet’ version of cheung fen in Ipoh, a capital of food in Malaysia. The wet cheungfen is served with curry, topped with sesame seeds and fried shallots.