DIM SUM

There has been many Dim Sum restaurants that suddenly have opened  all over Klang Valley and Selangor. From the no-frills type without air-conditioning coffee-shop to the up-market type of restaurants like those by Tai Thong Group of restaurants as well as Chinese restaurants in the hotels.

Dim Sum are Chinese Hot Hors-d'Oeuvre. They take skills to make as they are all hand-made, except the 'Pau' perhaps, as nowadays they have 'Pau' making machine. The meat paste of the steamed dim sum is primarily made-up of pork (at least consisting of about 15% to 20% fat) and shrimps, minced together and  tapioca starch added to bind into a springy paste before wrapping them up with wrappers into little dim sim and then steamed. Some restaurants require you to pre-order your choice of dim sum and only then they will be steamed and served to you piping hot. The traditional dim sum restaurants have their dim sum served in a steamer trolley that goes around the tables and you just pick what you want as it goes around. This is only feasible if the restaurant are able to have their customers streaming in consistently.

I have also noticed that Dim Sum can be franchised and I have seen a few restaurants have many outlets all over Klang Valley.  The dim sum are made in their central kitchen and have been precooked before sending them out to the various outlets. Only certain items are made on the spot like their deep fried ones. I know one even offers dim sum making classes at RM5000 per course and they also throw in classes to learn duck roasting, cha siew (BBQ pork) and siew yuk (roast belly pork).

Most dim sum restaurant in Kuala Lumpur claimed that they serve Hong Kong style dim sum and yet they do not provide English mustard. Instead they provide sweet chilli sauce and Hoi Sin Sauce only as dips.

There is always a shortage of F& B staff in the Malaysian restaurants. Many employs foreign workers from Myanmar or China to man these chinese restaurants.

How to tell whether the dim sum is of good quality or not, the following points are taken into consideration:

Siew Mai :  The Siew Mai by far is the most popular item in any Dim Sum restaurant. The paste has to be springy and made of minced pork and shrimps and then top with fish roe. Yet some restaurants cheat and use coloured sago pearls to top their siew mai. Its a no-no because I feel that already we are paying so much per plate of dim sum and we want authenticity.

Meat Pau:  BBQ Pork Pau are the most popular. The filling varies in the texture of the meat BBQ pork used: for some the meat are in shreds which some are in small cubes. I would prefer the latter. When you bite the Pau, the dough should not sticks to your teeth. That would determine the quality of the flour used.

Yam Puffs (Woo Kok):  These have to made fresh otherwise they go soft when cooled. Sometimes you might get yam puffs that has been reheated by re-frying in hot oil and you can tell by its darker colour of the skin.  The outer layer of mashed yam should be at least 5mm thick otherwise you can't taste the yam at all.

Fried Radish Cake:  The method to fry this dish is quite similar to the Penang Cha Kueh Teow. The radish cubes have to be fried first to evenly brown all sides. Then they should add lots of garlic, some chilli paste, and chopped preserved radish. These three ingredients are important to get the outcome correct: fragrant (from the garlic), extra taste of the radish from the preserved radish and a certain 'kick' from the chilli boh. Beaten egg is added to roughly coat and bind everything together and then lastly, bean sprouts and chives to cut the oil.

Shanghai Dumplings (Siew Loong Pau):  The marinated meat paste is wrapped when half frozen with a white flour wrapper and then steamed. Not many people know how to eat this item. This dim sum has a little broth from the meat. To eat it, gently and carefully pick the tip of the dim sum with your chopstick and place it on your spoon. Take care not break it or else the broth will ooze out. Add some pickled ginger shreds in black vinegar and pop it into your mouth. Sometimes its not your fault that it breaks when you try to pick it up with your chopstick; its because the dim sum got stuck to the bottom of the dish. To prevent this from happening, some restaurants line the steamer with parchment paper before placing the dim sum on it.

You can tell whether the dim sums are made by apprentice cooks or the Master Dim Sum Chef by looking at the end result. Its the Art of Beguilement.