Hong Kong Table – Dim Sums
- 23
- March
- 2009
Hong Kong Table – Test Drive – Dim Sums!!!
My friends chit-chatting!!:)
Platter – Dim Sums.
Cream buns with lotus seeds filling!
Pork BBQ Sums(no idea about the taste)
Lotus leaf wrapped Sticky rice(Leaf is not eaten tho’ hee hee)
This was bit stinky to me!:(
Shrimp Dumplings, everyone’s favourite!
I fried these Sesame balls.
Daphne & Suzete seriously cooking!
Dim Sums:
I am an active member of Cook! Eat! Share! – the International Club at Oxford, University of Mississippi. It is an unique club, we talk about culture, history, business and life style. Pretty much like the name, we also Cook, Eat and Share!
It is an easy way to learn one’s culture, through food! Every 3 months, we feature a table, that reflects the culture and cuisine of the country! We the members, meet up every week and decide about the theme. A member from that particular country will let us know about their lifestyle, how to procure the ingredients, cooking style, eating habits and culture associated with it!! Almost every week, he/she will be bringing in some food, to share…which goes into criticism and approval mode! Finally we will decide the menu for a table and test drive the recipes picked!
Well, on the big day, when we host ‘The International Table’, it will also have an interesting presentation!! It is a big challenge to cook for 40 – 50 people!! We follow the same restaurant rules. Cook from scratch. All the members will divide our labour, in the kitchen plus at the table services. The member of that particular country(that we are featuring) will be the boss in the kitchen, we will go by his/her rule. The real challenge comes from the table settings, services, cooking to perfection, maintaining the warmness of food through out the episode….etc.
We are featuring Hong Kong table this month, so finally thought to blog about the club!! My friend, Daphne Ingene is native to Hong Kong. She is doing her PH.D in counselling! While talking about the Hong Kong culture, certainly a talk about ‘Dim Sums’ didn’t escape from our conversation. ‘Dim Sums’ literally means ‘Little Hearts’ in Cantonese language. It will served along with Oolong tea or Jasmine tea.
History:It seems at first, at various tea shops, they only served tea in the beginning, were folks gathered for a drink and little chit chat. Later they started serving light snacks along with tea. Over time, now dim sums is always associated with tea and became a breakfast menu. There are several Dim Sums Restaurants in Hong Kong today, were families come in for a Saturday breakfast…talk talk and talk.
Criticism:When we test drived our recipes, I did notice, dim sums tasted better…only when we drank tea along with it. Fried Sesame balls are dessert’s, but I prefered them as starters, crunchy and chewy to start the food. There was one unique and very interesting recipe…although we all agreed on, not to try it(forever)!! Yeah it is chicken feet dim sums, liked by the natives! Daphne said…they are delicacies the ligaments tastes better(if someone need adventure, keep this info’ in mind)!! The lotus wrap sticky rice with chicken and mushroom was too good!! Choy Sum – a Chinese flowering cabbage(Bok Choy in U.S, Australia and France), was pretty much like spinach to me. Choy sum means inner stalks and tips in Cantonese(so don’t hesitate to pick them up, next time you see in Korean/Chinese market). I didn’t try Pork BBBQ sums, as I have never eaten pork in my life(no beef or pork, by choice). But everyone said it was damn good!! Crytal shrimp dumplings and chive dumplings were awesome(I started to cook them for myself at home). The dessert ‘Cream bun’ was unique, much like ‘Indian Pooran Modhak’, were the filling varied…sweetened lotus seeds.
Culture:Imagine we are dinning in Hong Kong…try to order more than 5-7 dim sums varieties and share with friends, yeah that’s the culture there. And each table has its own Tea pot, if the pot is empty…you don’t have to yell at the waiter…just keep the lid open, the waiter will be soon there. When the waiter comes to service…you may not necessarily say ‘Thank you’ as you’ll be busy engaged in talking…but try to tap twice on the table(use fore and middle finger, to tap twice). It implies that you’re thank full, real multi tasking, right!
Such a wonderful event.Love to see the recipe of Shrims dumplings,they look like our indian sweet (sesame and jaggery ladoos)
WOW!! That culture club sounds like fun and look at all those feast! Good for you to participate in that club. Never eaten Dim sums or any of those myself, got to visit a restaurant sometime!
Each and every dim sum seems delicious . (Looks like our kolukattai to me). Nice to see ur friends there. All look great. convey my hello and congrats to them for this successful event. sesame ball looks cute and tempting. u had a dessert dim sum too! Thats a lovely idea to know others cultures . Nice way to say thanks to the waiter:)Above all, the dish with lotus seeds surprised me a lot.
this is such a great idea…can imagine what great fun it must be to get together with friends and cook and eat!
Wow that is wonderful Malar..Good to have a club like that and be an active member..You can get to know the culture and the food..yummm That loos awesome..My hubby loves Dim Sums..It must so much fum to cook together, chat and then eat..Lucky You:-)
Nice event Malar, you must hy\ave had a great time
Lovely dishes!
mmmhh wat a nice idea of learning about various cultures around the world.
Thank you for posting all these Malar and letting us know about the club..:)
It’s a nice event malar..Good to know about others culture through food..
Malar,you are sssooo lucky to be a member in the club..i dont think there is a better opportunity to explore ones culture…And yes,the pictures show the interest you all have in the event..Go on Malar..just dont forget to share dear.
Sounds fun the event. Look that food, great way to welcome and explore other culture!
Thank you Malar for such good words of yours. I’m flattered ! – Sucharitha
Malar this is great. Thanks for sharing about the club and the activities.
this is a wonderful event Malar! Looks like you had lots of fun in tasting different varieties of food. Sesame balls look so yummy.
wow Malar that must be so much fun to sit and be able to talk,eat and learn abt various cultures…….
What a lovely idea for a club! The spread looks great! Thanks for sharing this, Malar
Malar, that’s wonderful. Nice club! Do send some tomatish entries for my FIL-Tomato event dear by 31st Mar..!:)
Oh..Thats sounds great fun..Wish we had something like this here..Cool cool..n great looking dishes there..esply steam dumplings..:)
Wow that is wonderful Malar.. Thats a lovelyideatoknowotherscultures.you written nice information about others culture..Thanks for sharing this, Malar
Whoa! So many Dim sums! I’ve seen them in photos but not in real life, nor tasted them. Those dim sums look lovely and delicious except pork (yuck!) BBQ dim sums.
wow malar, what a feast, i think I would have enjoyed everything if i was there! those chicken feet dim sums seems interesting; I love adding Choy to my soups (here they call it bok choy (have seen in the chinese shops). I’d have jumped into the pork bbq first (that’s sure)and the prawn raviolis look delicious too. here, in the restaurants, they propose the sesame balls for the dessert.. i like munching them too but long after meals in the untime
yethaiyum vittukardhilla 
as for the “tapping with the fingers to say thank you” very useful information, love respecting and learning others’ cultures. I’ll keep that in mind; Joi gin! lol
wooohhh..thats a big big spread!! i feel like goin right in there!!
Wish I could join the feast too. Everything is alluring:)
Hi Malar
I am always taken by your recipes and knowledge.
I wish I could join the event that you are telling about, it must have been so fantastic.
Thanks for sharing with us.
Ana x
I love dimsum. Everything looks fantastic!
I’d love to taste the shrimp dumplings,looks deeelicious:)