Dim sum: Food to touch your heart

By Ranajit Dam

As far as food names go, this must be one of the most poetic in all of China, if not the world. “Dim sum,” or as they call it in Mandarin, “dian xin” (点心), means “touch the heart.” It is not an overstatement by any means; generations of Cantonese will vouch for the fact that very few experiences touch the heart quite like sipping tea for hours while eating these delightful little snacks.

While varieties of dim sum are available around China, the most famous, not to mention the most ubiquitous, is the Cantonese variety. Cantonese dim sum involves a wide range of light dishes, including dishes based on meat, seafood, vegetables, as well as desserts and fruit. These dishes are served alongside Chinese tea, and the entire experience is called “yum cha” or “drink tea” in Cantonese.

While most self-respecting Cantonese restaurants will serve dozens of dishes, here are some staples you should not leave the restaurant without trying

1) Har gau (虾饺): Also called xia jiao in Mandarin, har gau is prepared by filling wrappers (made using flour and starch) with shrimp, bamboo shoots and seasonings. The pouch-shaped dumplings are then steamed in a bamboo basket until they are translucent. When the dough for the wrapper is properly prepared and cooked, the dumplings have a slightly sticky, chewy texture. Ingredients normally include sesame oil, salt, sugar, and sherry

 

2) Siu mai (烧麦): Known as shao mai in Mandarin and available at 7-11s and supermarkets around the city, siu mai is a kind of flour dumpling that is filled with a combination of seasoned ground pork, shrimp, and Chinese black mushroom in small bits. Siu mai is usually garnished with an orange dot, made of carrot

 

3) Cha siu baau (叉烧包): Cha siu baau is a Cantonese roast pork bun. Known as cha sha bao in Mandarin, the bun is filled with barbecue-flavoured pork and onions. Cha siu baau can be of two kinds: steamed (white outside) and baked (brown colour and with glaze). Similar in appearance to the northern baozi, cha siu baau however has a different texture: Soft, fluffy, and almost cake-like

 

4) Cheong fun (肠粉): These are wide rice noodles that are steamed and then rolled. Cheong fun (or chang fen in Mandarin) are often filled with different types of meats or vegetables inside. Popular fillings include beef, dough fritters, shrimp, and barbecued pork. The dish is usually topped with a sweetened soy sauce

 

5) Egg tart (蛋挞): Dim sum restaurants serve a wide variety of sweets and desserts and prominent among these is the egg tart, a throwback to the time when Hong Kong and Macao were European colonies. The egg tart is composed of a flaky outer crust with a middle filled with egg custard which is then baked.

So where to try? Dim sum restaurants are available around Shenzhen, but here are my picks:

Carrianna Restaurant (Carrianna Store) (佳宁娜大酒楼 [佳宁娜广场店] )

• Address: 4th Floor, Carrianna Plaza, No.2002 Renmin Nan Road, Luohu District (罗湖区人民南路2002号佳宁娜广场4楼)
• Phone: (0755) 2518 2338, 2518 2338

 

Laurel (OCT Store) (丹桂轩 [华侨城店] )

• Address: 1st Floor, Portofino Club, Xiangshan Street, OCT, Nanshan District (南山区华侨城香山街波托菲诺会所1楼)
• Phone: (0755) 2600 3218

 

Panxi Restaurant (泮溪酒家)

• Address: No.1039 Jianshe Road, Luohu District (罗湖区建设路1039号)
• Phone: (0755) 8233 4589, 8233 9982

 

Shenzhen Chifu Restaurant (深圳翅福酒家)

• Address: 1-3F Jiazhou Haoyuan 2nd Period, No.9013 Binhai Road, Futian District (深圳市福田区滨河路9013号嘉洲豪园二期1-3楼)
• Phone: (0755) 8389 9888, 8359 6888
• Hours: 9:00am-3:00pm, 5:00pm-10:00pm

 

Shenzhen Chuangzhan Seaport Restaurant (深圳创展海港)

• Address: 3F, An’hui Building, No.6007 Shennan Road, Futian District (Chuangzhan Center) (深圳市福田区深南大道6007号安徽大厦 [创展中心] )
• Phone: (0755) 8386 0090
• Hours: 11:00am-3:00pm, 5:00pm-10:00pm

 

Shenzhen Dingsheng Seaport Restaurant (深圳鼎盛海港)

• Address: 3F, Dingsheng Times Plaza, Huaqiang Garden, Fuhong Road, Futian District (深圳市福田区福虹路华强花园鼎盛时代广场三楼)
• Phone: (0755）8374 1080，8374 1338
• Hours: 9:30am-3:00pm, 5:00pm-10:00pm

 

Shenzhen Famous Kitchen Restaurant (深圳名厨饭堂)

• Address: 1F, Sunshine Golf Building, No.1056 Shennan Road (深南大道1056号阳光高尔夫大厦首层)
• Phone: (0755) 8287 2808
• Hours: 10:00am-3:00pm, 5:00pm-10:00pm

 

Shenzhen Huanyu Seaport (深圳环宇海港)

• Address: No.1002 Hongling Central Road (深圳市红岭中路1002号)
• Phone: (0755) 2557 3168，2557 4168
• Hours: 7:30am-2:30pm 5:30pm-10:30pm

 

Shenzhen Luyin Seaport (深圳鹿茵海港)

• Address: No.1 Pengxing Road, Liantang, Luohu District (深圳市罗湖区莲塘鹏兴路1号)
• Phone: (0755) 2548 4138 ，2548 4388
• Hours: 9:00am-3:00pm 5:00pm-10:00pm

 

Shenzhen Made in Kitchen Restaurant (深圳厨房制造)

• Address: 7F Kingglory Plaza, No.2028 Renmin Nan Road, Luohu District (深圳市罗湖区人民南路2028号金光华广场7楼02-03[观光电梯直达7楼] )
• Phone: (0755) 8261 1899, 8261 1866, 8261 1639
• Hours: 10:00am-2:00am

 

Shenzhen Prince Kitchen (深圳王子厨房)

• Address: 5-6 F Citic City Plaza, No.1093 Shennan Road, Futian District (深圳市深南中路1093号中信城市广场B区5-6楼)
• Phone: (0755) 2598 8333, 5298 8666
• Hours: 10:00am-2:00am

 

Tang Palace (唐宫海鲜坊)

• Address: 6th floor of Zhonghai Business City, No.1, Xinyuan Road (深圳罗湖区新园路1号深圳戏院中海商城6楼)
• Phone: (0755) 8217 8790
• Bus routes: 101, 102, 103, 11, 203, 206

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About Ranajit Dam