At Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Spring Moon, an establishment since 1986 housed inside The Peninsula Hong Kong, one of many elegant dishes throughout a tour de power lunch could also be a pan-fried cod fish served with quinoa, alongside a stylized goldfish-shaped dumpling filled with minced shrimp. Maybe impressed by the unbelievable Instagram-worthy dish, some diners could then choose to get hands-on within the kitchen, studying in regards to the intricacies of making the delicacies by enrolling within the lodge’s Dim Sum Making Class, a tutorial provided along side chef Lam Yuk Ming and his crack dim sum squad.
It is tougher than it appears, after all, and your unhappy, droopy-eyed goldfish could show to be a poor imposter of the actual factor. But it surely makes the restaurant’s fanciful creation, served to a whole bunch of diners per day, all of the extra memorable.
In Cantonese tradition, dim sum is not only a meal, it is a lifestyle. “In Hong Kong, ‘yum cha’ initially referred to ‘going to a tea home,’” says chef Lam. “Over time, it advanced into ‘ingesting tea’ which turned synonymous with going to a tea home to take pleasure in dim sum.”
It is such an integral part to life in Hong Kong that the phrase signifying going out for dim sum can be used as a social catchall. “‘Duk haan yum chaa la!’ is a phrase you hear uttered rather a lot between individuals who run into one another on the road, actually which means, ‘Let’s have dim sum whenever you’re free!’” says Charmaine Mok, deputy tradition editor of South China Morning Publish in Hong Kong. “But it surely’s additionally one that may have one other which means, a bit like, ‘Let’s catch up someday!’ and also you by no means do.”
Dim sum is an excuse to get collectively, catch-up, and socialize; the let’s seize a drink or espresso of Cantonese tradition. “Yum cha can be standard for household gatherings on weekends, the place all of the relations sit collectively to share their anecdotes throughout the week,” says chef Lam.
Hong Kong flag provider Cathay Pacific has even introduced dim sum onboard and into the airport. “Dim sum is intricately woven into the material of Hong Kong’s tradition, serving not solely as a meal however a social occasion,” says Vivian Lo, the airline’s common supervisor of buyer expertise and design. “We’ve curated quite a lot of dim sum at our lounges and in-flight to showcase this iconic culinary custom to our prospects — from steamed or pan-fried dumplings and buns to delicious baked delights and extra.”
Courtesy of Cathay Pacific
Earlier than a flight, passengers can go to The Noodle Bar, Cathay’s restaurant inside its worldwide lounges, for dim sum staples akin to xiao lengthy bao, har gau shrimp dumplings, steamed pork buns, and dan dan noodles. As soon as on board, the airline has partnered with prestigious Hong Kong eating places such because the Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Duddell’s. Breakfast in Cathay’s top notch due to this fact would possibly embody Hong Kong sampan congee with a dim sum collection of 4 dumplings.
Seizing the chance to go again into the kitchen is essential to unlocking the mysteries of dim sum in full, and it is a prized, uncommon degree of entry that by no means was once out there. “It is an issue we have now right here the place there’s a hole between the masters who know their craft and the scholars who wish to study,” Mok says.
That makes an providing such because the one from Spring Moon and The Peninsula, spearheaded by chef Lam, all of the extra particular. “We welcome each visitor with pleasure as a result of educating dim sum within the kitchen permits them to expertise our working setting and processes,” he says. “Making dim sum in entrance of them deepens their understanding and provides them a firsthand expertise of this distinctive Cantonese culinary tradition, creating unforgettable reminiscences for every of them.”
There is no changing that firsthand expertise and information, and it ought to be on any hungry Hong Kong customer’s record. “Dim sum is a part of Cantonese tradition, full cease,” Mok says.
The place to attempt dim sum in Hong Kong
This is the place to study and bask in dim sum for a scrumptious, interactive schooling.
Enroll in a dim sum workshop at The Peninsula
At The Peninsula Hong Kong, Dim Sum Making Class is a personal two-hour session held within the lodge’s banquet kitchen, together with refreshments and adopted by a lunch at Michelin-starred Spring Moon. Enrollees will snag recipes and a certificates of the category as a memento. The expertise prices about $350 per individual (HK$2,680 + 10% service).
Go to a standard dim sum store
Bamboo steamers are the backbones of the cultural mainstay that’s dim sum. Head to Tuck Chong Sum Kee Bamboo Steamer Firm in Sai Wan to realize a better appreciation for them. “It is fascinating to study extra in regards to the iconic bamboo steamers utilized in dim sum making by visiting conventional shops,” Mok says.
Observe correct dim sum etiquette
Mok suggests a couple of etiquette pointers for dim sum novices. As an illustration, as Cantonese delicacies highlights the freshness of substances, it’s best to attempt dishes akin to har gau and siu mai dumplings on their very own earlier than dipping in chili oil or different condiments.
Anticipate to attend at standard eating places that do not take reservations, and naturally, at all times share your dim sum basket. “It isn’t correct to have a complete basket of dim sum to your self,” Mok says. Alongside the identical traces, pour tea for others on the desk earlier than your self. “To thank others who pour for you, you’ll be able to faucet two fingers on the desk as a fast and silent gesture of gratitude.”
Mix a tour and cooking class
Courtesy of The 4 Seasons
The 4 Seasons Hong Kong presents a Kowloon meals tour led by chef Chan Yan Tak, the primary Chinese language chef to earn three Michelin stars, along with a category on making ready dim sum in his restaurant, Lung King Heen. The Culinary Masterclass and Tour begins with a dim sum workshop within the kitchen, adopted by a culinary tour, culminating with a dinner on the two-Michelin starred restaurant. The total-day expertise prices about $2,150 for 2 individuals (HK$16,800) and is just out there for 4 Seasons Elite Friends.
Dim sum eating places in Hong Kong
Courtesy of Black Sheep Eating places
When doubtful, pull up a chair and sit down for one more meal. “One of the simplest ways to study is to eat,” Mok says. This is a cheat sheet:
“I like to recommend essentially the most conventional in Hong Kong, akin to Luk Yu Tea Home or Lin Heung Tea Home,” says chef Lam. “That is the place you’ll be able to expertise the oldest and essentially the most conventional tea home tradition. Previously, dim sum was once bought by dim sum sellers carrying trays hanging in entrance of them or on carts displaying the names of dim sum varieties and transitioning to these days, the place many tea homes present dim sum menus for visitors to select and select their most well-liked dim sum dishes.”
Mok recommends Lin Heung for a similar cause, “for the basic trolley motion. It has fairly a historical past and after shuttering a couple of years again, it not too long ago reopened, a lot to the delight of everybody.”
Lo (who additionally beneficial the identical joint, making Lin Heung a 3 for 3 and doubtless a spot it’s best to take into account visiting) suggests Solar Hing Restaurant. “It is one other native neighborhood favourite, recognized for serving conventional dim sum from late night time to the early hours,” she says.
Mok’s private favourite, which she calls a dim sum expertise in addition to an journey, is DuenvKee (Tuen Kee). “It is nestled on the decrease part of Hong Kong’s tallest mountain, Tai Mo Shan, and is a standard teahouse the place all the things is self-service: You discover a seat, get your individual crockery and cutlery, and select your individual tea,” she says. “Dim sum steamers are stacked excessive for the taking, they usually even have a couple of nostalgic objects you hardly ever see elsewhere as of late — like pork liver siu mai and steamed preserved sausage rolls.”
Nonetheless hungry? Mok has you coated. She suggests Ho Lee Fook as a contemporary possibility. “Chef Winson Yip and head chef Archan Chan are actually shifting the needle for Cantonese delicacies whereas preserving its traditions,” she says. To be awed by the dimensions of a mega-operation, head to Metropol Restaurant. “It is a captivating place, and their central island options plenty of cooked-to-order objects.” For fine-dining fashion dim sum, Hong Kong Delicacies 1983. “Their har gau is likely one of the most elegant on the town and comes with a bit of dropper so as to add a extremely intense roasted prawn oil to carry out much more of the umami seafood flavors.”