Thinking back on my first dim sum experience, I felt excitement of the unknown... and hunger! Walking into a Chinese restaurant that is filled with mostly Chinese people gives you a feeling right off the bat that the food must be authentic and amazing. It was. In a typical dim sum experience they start off with bringing tea to your table. All food is wheeled around on a cart or carried on a tray to your table so that you can see the food options. The servers have always been friendly and have always been very helpful in explaining what each item is. Every time something is ordered the server marks an X on a piece of paper that is left at your table. There are different sections to put an X in, and even two different sizes. This is how they ring up your bill later. It is a strange feeling not knowing how much you're spending, but the costs are fairly cheap so you can try many different dishes without breaking the bank. All dishes are meant to be shared by the table, which is great because you can try many different things.
My two favorite things to eat at dim sum are Goa (dumplings) and the sticky rice. Goa can be filled with any type of meat or seafood. My favorites are usually shrimp or pork (shaomai) dumplings. The sticky rice is steamed in a lotus leaf (which gives it an amazing, somewhat sweet flavor), and is filled with other ingredients such as mushrooms and chicken. There are also many deep-fried options that are delicious as well. A favorite fried option are the "shrimp balls" which I'm not sure what are called in Chinese. They are crunchy on the outside and a soft shrimp blend in the middle. I eat all dim sum with soy sauce, spicy chili paste, and of course chopsticks. Even though I know which dim sum items are my favorites, it is always exciting to try something new.
(Unfortunately one of my only pics from dim sum... after we destroyed the food! haha)
On my 26th birthday this past December we went out for dim sum. As always around my birthdays, I seem to go a little "manic" and find the need to do new things or experience change in some way. It's always been like this around my birthdays. I've done everything from chopping my hair (and donating it) to deciding to move. Anyways, this blog entry isn't dedicated to me getting older. The point of my rambling is that I decided to be daring that day and try something new that I had always been curious about. I tried tripe. For those of you that don't know, tripe is intestines. Although this seems gross to eat to almost everyone I tell, it is a normal dish in many countires around the world. When I ordered tripe off the cart, the server acted shocked that I was ordering it. I reassured her that is what I meant and I was the first to dive in. Squishy, and tasted like the vegetables that it was cooked along with. Despite the texture, which is comparable to calamari, it wasn't bad. I even got my friend to try it! Although it wasn't my favorite, I am glad that I have finally tried it.
Every time I go to dim sum I still feel that excitement that I had during my first visit. The only change now is that there isn't a big feeling of the unknown. Instead my excitement is filled with knowledge. Knowledge that I'm about to eat some great food. Knowledge in which food is which, and what it tastes like. I often take friends to dim sum, partially to broaden their food horizon, and partially to scare them out of their comfort zone. Even though I have much to learn when it comes to dim sum, I gain experience with each visit. And I still want to learn more!
homemade dumplings
Where I go:
Yangtze Restaurant: (dim sum available on weekends 10 a.m.- 2 p.m.)
5625 Wayzata Blvd.
St. Louis Park, MN 55416
Yangtze Restaurant: (dim sum available on weekends 10 a.m.- 2 p.m.)
5625 Wayzata Blvd.
St. Louis Park, MN 55416
For a better understanding of dim sum check out:
Or this blog that I stumbled upon:
