Shrimp toast

Shrimp toast or prawn toast is a Chinese seafood dish, usually served as a canapé or hors d'?uvre. It is made from small triangles of bread, brushed with and coated with minced shrimp and water chestnuts, then cooked by baking or deep frying. It is a common appetizer in Australian and American Chinese cuisine. A common variant in the United Kingdom is sesame prawn toast. This involves sprinkling before the baking or deep frying process.

History

This dish has over 100 years of history, originating in , in China's Guangdong Province. It is called ''Hatosi'' in , ''Ha'' meaning shrimp. ''Tosi'' being a loan word from English meaning toast. The dish's range expanded along with foreign trade, making its way to Japan and Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam and Thailand.

Hatoshi in Japan

The dish was introduced to Japan during the Meiji Era through the port of , whose local Shippoku cuisine blended the cookery of China, Japan, and the West. In , shrimp toast is known as ''Hatoshi'' ハトシ, a loan word from Cantonese. Many Chinese restaurants and shops in Nagasaki's Chinatown still serve this dish. Some also serve a variant made with pork.

Shaomai

Shaomai is a traditional dumpling.

Varieties

There are two regional varieties of ''shaomai'': a version and a version from the Jiangnan region.

Cantonese ''shaomai''

As prepared in Cantonese cuisine, ''shaomai'' is also referred to as "pork and mushroom dumpling." Its standard filling is a combination of ingredients, consisting primarily of seasoned ground pork, whole and chopped shrimp, and Chinese black mushroom in small bits. The outer covering is made of a thin sheet of lye water dough. The center is usually garnished with an orange dot, made of roe or diced carrot, although a green dot may also be used. The decorative presentations vary from restaurant to restaurant.

Jiangnan ''shaomai''

''Shaomai'' prepared in the Jiangnan region are quite different. The wrapper is larger and tougher than the Cantonese version. The filling is similar to Zongzi with soy sauce/rice wine/sugar marinated pork pieces in glutenous rice and steamed with some lard. It is larger in size than the Cantonese version. However, most people in Western countries associate shaomai only with the Cantonese version due to the Cantonese diaspora. Recently, the Jiangnan version is starting to appear in areas with high-density new immigrants from mainland China, such the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley.

Hon'gadan ''shaomai''

''Shaomai'' prepared with shrimp, beef and hard boiled egg filling. Similar to the Japanese gyoza it is initially prepard by frying in a small amount of oil, eventually finishing the cooking process by steaming. Flavoring for this dumpling include ginger, five spice, and star anise.

Serving

Within the dim sum tradition of southern China, ''shaomai'' is one of the most standard dishes. It is generally served alongside ''har gau'', another variety of steamed dumpling.

In food stalls in Indonesia, ''shaomai'' are eaten together with steamed vegetables and tofu, and served with spicy peanut sauce.

Rice noodle roll

A rice noodle roll is a dish from southern China and , commonly served as a variety of dim sum. It is a thin roll made from a wide strip of ''Shahe fen'' , filled with shrimp, pork, vegetables, or other ingredients. Sweet soy sauce is poured over the dish upon serving. The rice noodle is also known as chee cheong fun where ''chee cheong'' means pig intestine, and ''fun'' means noodle; this is because the noodle resembles the small intestine of a pig. A very similar dish to this is the Vietnamese ''bánh cu?n''.

Preparation

The rice noodle sheets are made from a viscous mixture of rice flour and water. This liquid is poured onto a specially-made flat pan in which it is steamed to produce the square rice sheets. ''Chee cheong fun'' can be served with different flavour of sauce.

Regional

Cantonese cuisine

In Cantonese cuisine, rice noodle roll is most often served in dim sum. The most common types offered as part of dim sum cuisine are:
* Rice noodle roll with shrimp
* Rice noodle roll with
* Rice noodle roll with beef
* Rice noodle roll with char siu

Other varieties that may be offered include:
* Rice noodle roll with chicken and bitter melon
* Rice noodle roll with conpoy and pea shoot
* Rice noodle roll with fish
* Rice noodle roll with Youtiao also known as Zhaliang

Vietnamese cuisine

In Vietnamese cuisine, it is called ''bánh cu?n'', and it is mostly eaten for breakfast. It is a crêpe-like roll made from a thin, wide sheet of rice noodle that can be filled with ground pork and other ingredients. Sides for this dish usually consist of ''ch? l?a'' and bean sprouts, while the dipping sauce is called ''n??c ch?m''. Sometimes, a drop of cà cu?ng, which is the essence of a giant water bug, Lethocerus indicus, is added to the n??c ch?m for extra flavor, although this ingredient is scarce and quite expensive.

Southeast Asian cuisine

In and Malaysian cuisine, In Malaysia, many people prefer serving ''chee cheong fun'' with a kind of black sweet sauce called . It is likely a variation of hoisin sauce. The popular Malaysian Penang version uses a shrimp paste called ''hae ko'' which is also black and sweet. Others prefer specially-made chili sauce or mix the two together. ''Chee cheong fun'' is a popular breakfast food in Singapore and Malaysia. ''Chee cheong fun'' is frequently served in kopitiams and Chinese restaurants.

Other variations

There is another kind of food which is similar to ''chee cheong fun'', called ''laicheong'' in Cantonese. This food is popular in Guangzhou.

Lo mai gai

Lo mai gai Nuo mi ji , also called steamed chicken in lotus leaf wrap, or glutinous rice in lotus leaf wrap, is a kind of food. It contains glutinous rice filled with chicken, s, Chinese sausage and sometimes dried shrimp. The ball of rice is then wrapped in a dried leaf and steamed. In North America, banana, lily, or grape leaves may be used instead. It is often served as a dim sum at .


In Malaysia and Singapore, there are two variants of ''lo mai gai''. The first is the original Cantonese version and the other a takeaway style served at coffee shops and speciality local ''dim sum'' shops. The takeaway style has glutinous rice served with chicken and are usually made by companies such as ''Kong Guan''.

Variant

Sometimes ''lo mai gai'' is divided into smaller wraps, which are known as chun chu gai .

Some restaurants use ground pork instead of chicken.

Due to the flexibility of the lotus leaf, Lo mai gai is typically wrapped to form a square. Zongzi is wrapped using bamboo leaves into a triangular shape.

Jiaozi

Jiaozi , gyōza , or mandu , is a dumpling, widely popular in Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea as well as outside of East Asia, particularly in the United States.

The corresponding Chinese characters for "''Jiaozi''" refer to the arrival of the Chinese New Year at midnight. According to the Chinese calendar system, "''Tiangan Dizhi''" is used to designate the time in accordance to the Chinese zodiac. "''Jiao''" in Chinese means "join," while "''zi''" is a reference to the first and eleventh hour of ''Dizhi'' - midnight on the Western clock.

Jiaozi typically consist of a ground meat and/or vegetable filling wrapped into a thinly rolled piece of dough, which is then sealed by pressing the edges together or by ing. Jiaozi should not be confused with wonton: jiaozi have a thicker, chewier skin and a flatter, more oblate, double-saucer like shape , and are usually eaten with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce ; while wontons have thinner skin, are sphere-shaped, and are usually served in broth. The dough for the jiaozi and wonton wrapper also consist of different ingredients.

Chinese version

Chinese dumplings '''' may be divided into various types depending on how they are cooked:

*Boiled dumplings; '''' literally "water dumplings" .

*Steamed dumplings; '''' literally "steam-dumpling" .

*Shallow fried dumplings '''' lit. "pan stick", known as "potstickers" in N. America, , also referred to as "dry-fried dumplings" .

Dumplings that use rather than dough to wrap the filling are called "egg dumplings" or .

Common dumpling meat fillings include pork, mutton, beef, chicken, fish, and shrimp which are usually mixed with chopped vegetables. Popular vegetable fillings include cabbage, scallion , leek, and Chinese chives. Dumplings are eaten with a soy sauce-based dipping sauce that may include vinegar, garlic, ginger, rice wine, hot sauce, and sesame oil.

Dumplings are one of the major foods eaten during the Chinese New Year, and year round in the northern provinces. Traditionally, families get together to make ''jiaozi'' for the Chinese New Year. In rural areas, the choicest livestock is slaughtered, the meat ground and wrapped into dumplings, and frozen outside with the help of the freezing weather. Then they are boiled and served for the Chinese New Year feast. Dumplings with sweet, rather than savoury fillings are also popular as a Chinese New Year treat.

Cantonese style Chinese dumplings are standard fare in dim sum. These are different from ''jiaozi''; they are smaller and wrapped in a thinner translucent skin, and usually steamed. Fillings include shrimp, scallop, chicken, tofu, mixed vegetables, and others. The most common type are shrimp dumplings, sometimes called as Haa Gaau . In contrast to ''jiaozi'', which are easy to make at home, ''gaau'' are rarely home-made as they are more difficult to prepare. Many types of fillings exist, and dim sum restaurants often feature their own house specials or innovations. Dim sum chefs and artists often use ingredients in new or creative ways, or draw inspiration from other Chinese , such as Chiuchow, Hakka, or Shanghai. More daring chefs may even incorporate a from other cultures, such as Japanese or Southeast Asian , while upscale restaurants may use expensive or exotic ingredients such as lobster, shark fin and . Another Cantonese dumpling is the jau gok.

Jiaozi were so named because they were horn shaped. The Chinese for "horn" is ''jiǎo'' , and jiaozi was originally written with the Chinese character for "horn", but later it was replaced by a specific character 餃, which has the food radical on the left and the phonetic component ''jiāo'' on the right.

According to folk tales, jiaozi were invented by Zhang Zhongjing, one of the greatest practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine in history. They were originally called "娇耳" because they were used to treat frostbitten ears.

Japanese version

The word ''gyōza'' was derived from the reading of 餃子 in the Shandong Chinese dialect and is written using the same Chinese characters.

The most prominent differences of Japanese-style gyōza from Chinese style jiaozi are the rich garlic flavor, which is less noticeable in the Chinese version, and the fact that Japanese-style gyōza are very lightly flavored with salt, soy, and that the Gyoza wrappers are much thinner than the Chinese counterpart. They are always served with soy-based dipping sauce seasoned with rice vinegar and/or . The most common recipe found in Japan is a mixture of pork, garlic, cabbage, and ''nira'' , and sesame oil, which is then wrapped into thinly-rolled dough skins.

''Gyōza'' can be found in supermarkets and restaurants throughout Japan. Pan-fried ''gyōza'' are sold as a side dish in almost all ''ramen'' and Chinese restaurants in Japan.

The most popular preparation method is the pan-fried style called ''yaki-gyōza'' in Japan, in which the dumpling is first on one flat side, creating a crispy skin. Then, water is added and the pan sealed with a lid, until the upper part of the ''gyōza'' is . Other popular methods include boiled ''sui-gyōza'' and ''age-gyōza'' .

They are best enjoyed while still steaming hot. In Japan, they are considered Chuka (中華）, which despite the literal translation meaning "Chinese", it is Japanese style Chinese dishes.

Korean version

The Korean name of the dish is , a cognate derived from Chinese steamed bread ''mantou'' , but culinarily closer to jiaozi. Popular fillings for Korean dumplings include pork, beef, cabbage, squash, cellophane noodles and kimchi. They are often deep fried for a lighter, crispier texture. Steamed mandu is also very popular, and can come in various shapes: a "horn", crimped edges, a horn with the sides pressed together for a prettier, rounder look, etc. Generally mandu are dipped in soy sauce with vinegar and red pepper flakes.

''Guotie''

Guotie is pan-fried ''jiaozi'', also known as potstickers in North America. They are a Northern Chinese style dumpling popular as a street food, appetizer, or side order in , , and Korean cuisines. This dish is sometimes served on a dim sum menu, but may be offered independently. The filling for this dish usually contains pork , cabbage , scallions , ginger, Chinese rice wine or cooking wine, and sesame seed oil.

The mixed filling is sealed into a dumpling wrapper, until golden brown, then for a few minutes. If done correctly, they don't stick as much as their name suggests, if a non-stick frying pan is used, they do not stick at all.

An alternative method is to steam in a wok and then fry to crispness on one side in a shallow frying pan.

The ''guotie'' is similar to the Japanese .

Other names for ''guotie'':
* Peking Ravioli — In Boston, ''guotie'' are known as "Peking ravioli", a name first coined at the in , in 1958.
* Wor tip is the Cantonese name for ''guotie''.
* Chinese perogies in parts of Western Canada where the influence of Eastern European cuisine is strong.
* Pork Hash, in Hawaii, although it is not actually hash.

History

The ''guotie'' is said to date back to the Song Dynasty in ancient China.

In popular culture

In North American hacker culture, this convenient food became popular as "ravs" or "pot-stickers". Gyoza are a popular dish served at the Wagamama restaurant chain in the United Kingdom. They come in Duck, Chicken, Ebi and Yasai . In Canada they are normally referred to as "Chinese perogies", due to the ubiquity of Ukrainian food in parts of Western Canada.

Har gow

Har gow is a dim sum staple in Cantonese cuisine. It is prepared by filling wrappers with shrimp, bamboo shoots, and seasonings. The pouch-shaped dumpling is then steamed in a bamboo basket until translucent. When the dough for the wrapper is properly prepared and cooked, the dumpling has a slightly sticky, chewy texture. Ingredients vary regionally, but most versions contain sesame oil, salt, sugar, and sherry. Other versions may contain oyster sauce, water chestnuts, , scallions, or ginger.

The dumpling is sometimes called a shrimp bonnet for its pleated shape. Traditionally, ''har gow'' should have at least seven and preferably ten or more pleats imprinted on its wrapper. Many dim sum customers refer to ''har gow'' as the test of quality when judging a dim sum establishment, though much less in more modern times.

Fun guo

Fun guo, or Chaozhou fun guo sometimes spelled fun quor, fun gor, fen guo, Chiu Chow dumpling or Teochew dumpling is a variety of dumpling from the Chaozhou area of coastal eastern Guangdong, a province in Southern China.

Ingredients

They are typically filled with chopped peanuts, garlic chives, pork, dried shrimp, dried radish and shiitake mushrooms. Other filling ingredients may include cilantro, jicama, or dried daikon. The filling is wrapped in a thick dumpling wrapper made from a mixture of flours or plant starches mixed together with boiling water. Although the recipe for the wrapper dough may vary, it typically consists of de-glutenized wheat flour , tapioca flour , and or potato starch . The dumplings are usually served with a small dish of chili oil.

Teochew cuisine

In the Chaozhou dialect of Min Nan, the dumplings are called ''hung gue'' , but they are more widely known by their Cantonese name. They are also eaten in non-Chaozhou regions of Guangdong.

Egg roll

An egg roll is an appetizer which was originally eaten in East Asia but has spread throughout the world as a staple of Asian cuisine. It is said by some that the spring roll led to the creation of the egg roll. Many Asian countries are claimed to have originated the dish, and variants of the egg roll exist in multiple Asian cuisines . Southern China is the most likely source, as it stems from features of Cantonese cuisine.

Description

An egg roll is made by wrapping a combination of chopped vegetables , meat, and sometimes noodles, in a sheet of dough, dipping the dough in or an egg wash, then deep frying it. It can be closed or open ended.

When compared with its cousin, the spring roll, the egg roll is generally larger; has a thicker, puffier skin; is crunchier; and has more filling than the spring roll. However, the terms "spring roll" and "egg roll" are often used somewhat interchangeably. The egg roll dough is wheat-based while the spring roll is sometimes rice-based.

Regional

In mainland China, many Chinese-speaking regions of Asia, and Chinese immigrant communities around the world, egg roll is predominantly referred to as the egg-based, flute-shaped pastry, with typically yellowish, flaky crust often eaten as a sweet snack or dessert. Some varieties are made with sesame seeds or other flavorings/toppings, such as chocolate, cream, or strawberry. The term may also be used to refer to another modern Asian breakfast cuisine that mixes the western omelet with thin egg roll wrappers.

The American Chinese cuisine egg rolls are called either "Fried Egg Roll" or "Fried Spring Roll" - both terms are used interchangeably.

Other foods

In West Bengal, and especially Kolkata, "egg roll" refers to a fried egg wrapped inside a paratha flat-bread and is also known as a kati roll.

In , "egg roll" also commonly refers to a fried egg in a bread roll . The term "pancake roll" is often used by Chinese restaurants in the UK to describe what is called an "egg roll" at Chinese restaurants elsewhere. In France, a similar hors d'oeuvre is called a "nem".

A " egg roll" is an egg roll wrap filled with beans, cheese, and, optionally, meat, as well as various s and spices. It is then deep-fried and served with sour cream or s, like the chimichanga. In Mexico the residents refer to it as a burrito or in some rare cases, a taquito.

In the Philippines, the egg roll is called ''Lumpiang Shanghai'' pronounced loom-pyang shahng-hi but is more popularly referred to as Lumpia.

In the United States, several restaurant chains market a "Southwest Egg Roll", which is a Tex-Mex dish consisting of a deep-fried flour tortilla containing corn, black beans, spinach, chicken, monterey jack cheese, peppers, and other spices.

Gallery

Dim sum

Dim sum is the name for a Chinese cuisine which involves a wide range of light dishes served alongside Chinese tea. It is usually served in the mornings until noon time at Chinese restaurants and at specialty dim sum eateries where typical dishes are available throughout the day. Dishes come in small portions and may include meat, seafood, and vegetables, as well as desserts and fruit. The items are usually served in a small steamer basket or on a small plate. Yum cha is the term used to describe the dining session, especially in contemporary . Chinese families in particular typically like to gather at Chinese restaurants for dim sum on occasions such as Mother’s Day or Chinese New Years.

Name

The Cantonese phrase ''dim sum'' means literally "touch the heart" or "order to your heart's content". It may be derived from ''yat dim sum yi'' , meaning "a little token". Though the English word "dim sum" refers to the Cantonese variety, the idea of a wide variety of small dishes for lunch also holds for other regions of China.

Equivalent terms, such as ''dianxin'' in , exist in other varieties of Chinese, as a generic term for any of a variety of snacks or small food items. The terms "northern ''dianxin''" or "Shanghai ''dianxin''" have thus come into use. These ''dianxin'' are, however, not necessarily Cantonese dim sum, although the two still share the same written script in traditional and simplified characters.

In the US and many other , the word “Dim sum” is often mistakenly used as the name for Yum cha. In fact, in Cantonese, Dim sum is just a phrase for wide range of light dishes where Yum cha “drink tea”, is the process.

In Australia the name ''dim sim'' is used for a particular kind of dumpling snack. Dim sims may have been inspired by dim sum, but are typically ordered with fish and chips. Dim sum are available with yum cha in Australian restaurants.

History

Travellers on the ancient Silk Road needed a place to take a nap, so teahouses were established along the roadside. Rural farmers, exhausted after working hard in the fields, would also go to teahouses for a relaxing afternoon of tea. At first, it was considered inappropriate to combine tea with food, because people believed it would lead to excessive weight gain. People later discovered that tea can aid in digestion, so teahouse owners began adding various snacks and the tradition of dim sum evolved.

In Hong Kong, and most cities and towns in Guangdong province, many Chinese restaurants start serving as early as five in the morning. It is a tradition for the elderly to gather to eat dim sum after morning exercises, often enjoying the morning newspapers. For many southerners in China, ''yum cha'' is treated as a weekend family day. Consistent with this tradition, dim sum restaurants typically only serve dim sum until the afternoon ; other kinds of Cantonese cuisine are served in the evening. Nowadays, various dim sum items are sold as for students and office workers on the go.

While dim sum remains a staple of Chinese culinary culture, especially in Hong Kong, health officials have recently criticized the high amount of saturated fat and sodium in some dim sum dishes, warning that steamed dim sum should not automatically be assumed to be healthy. Health officials recommend balancing fatty dishes with boiled vegetables, minus sauce.

Drinking tea

The drinking of tea is as important to dim sum as the food. A popular tea which is said to aid in digestion is '''' , which is a strong, fermented tea. Chrysanthemum, and green tea can be served as well.

It is customary to pour tea for others during dim sum before filling one's own cup. A custom unique to the is to thank the person pouring the tea by tapping the bent index and middle fingers together on the table, which symbolises 'bowing' to them.

This is said to be analogous to the ritual of bowing to someone in appreciation. The origin of this gesture is described anecdotally: an unidentified Emperor went to yum cha with his friends, outside the palace; not wanting to attract attention to himself, the Emperor was disguised. While at yum cha, the Emperor poured his companion some tea, which was a great honour. The companion, not wanting to give away the Emperor's identity in public by bowing, instead tapped his index and middle finger on the table as sign of appreciation.

Given the number of times tea is poured in a meal, the tapping is a timesaver in loud restaurants or lively company, as an individual being served might be speaking to someone else or have food in their mouth.

Cuisine

Traditional dim sum includes various types of steamed buns such as ''cha siu baau'', dumplings and rice noodle rolls , which contain a range of ingredients, including beef, chicken, pork, prawns and options. Many dim sum restaurants also offer plates of steamed green vegetables, roasted meats, congee porridge and other soups. Dessert dim sum is also available and many places offer the customary egg tart. Having a meal in a Chinese teahouse or a dim sum restaurant is known as ''yum cha'' , literally "drinking tea", as tea is typically served with dim sum.

Dim sum can be cooked by steaming and frying, among other methods. The serving sizes are usually small and normally served as three or four pieces in one dish. It is customary to order family style, sharing dishes among all members of the dining party. Because of the small portions, people can try a wide variety of food.

Dim sum dishes can be ordered from a menu or sometimes the food is wheeled around on a trolley by servers. Traditionally, the cost of the meal is calculated based on the number, size, and sometimes color of the dishes left on the patron's table . Some modern dim sum restaurants record the dishes on a bill at the table. Not only is this tidier, it also prevents patrons from cheating by concealing or stealing the plates. Servers in some restaurants use distinct stamps so that sales statistics for each server can be recorded.

Dishes

Dim sum restaurants have a wide variety of dishes, usually several dozen. Among the standard fare of dim sum are the following:

Main

* Gow : Gow is a standard in most teahouses. They are made of ingredients wrapped in a translucent rice flour or wheat starch skin, and are different from ''jiaozi'' found in other parts of China. Though common, steamed rice-flour skins are quite difficult to make. Thus, it is a good demonstration of the chef's artistry to make these translucent dumplings. There are also dumplings with vegetarian ingredients, such as tofu and pickled cabbage.
** : A delicate steamed dumpling with whole or chopped-up shrimp filling and thin wheat starch skin. at Roseskitchenette
** : A dumpling said to have originated from the Chaozhou prefecture of Guangdong province, it contains peanuts, garlic chives, pork, dried shrimp, in a thick dumpling wrapper made from glutinous rice flour or Tang flour. It is usually served with a small dish of chili oil.
** Potsticker Northern Chinese style of dumpling , usually with meat and cabbage filling. Note that although potstickers are sometimes served in dim sum restaurants, they are not considered traditional Cantonese dim sum.
** Shaomai : Small steamed dumplings with pork inside a thin wheat flour wrapper. Usually topped off with crab roe and mushroom.
** Haam Sui Gaau (, alternatively 咸水角 : deep fried oval-shaped dumpling made with rice-flour and filled with pork and chopped vegetables. The rice-flour surrounding is sweet and sticky, while the inside is slightly salty.
* : Baked or steamed, these fluffy buns are filled with different meats and vegetables.
** Char siu baau : the most popular bun with a filling. It can be either steamed to be fluffy and white or baked with a light sugar glaze to produce a smooth golden-brown crust.
** : These dumplings are filled with meat or seafood and are famous for their flavor and rich broth inside. These dumplings are originally Shanghainese so they are not considered traditional Cantonese dim sum.
*Rice noodle rolls or cheong fun : These are wide rice noodles that are steamed and then rolled. They are often filled with different types of meats or vegetables inside but can be served without any filling. Rice noodle rolls are fried after they are steamed and then sprinkled with sesame seeds. Popular fillings include beef, dough fritter, shrimp, and barbecued pork. Often topped with a sweetened soy sauce.
* : These are chicken feet, deep fried, , marinated in a and then steamed. This results in a texture that is light and fluffy , while moist and tender. Fung zau are typically dark red in color. One may also sometimes find plain steamed chicken feet served with a vinegar dipping sauce. This version is known as "White Cloud Phoenix Talons"
*Steamed meatball : Finely-ground beef is shaped into balls and then steamed and served on top of a thin bean-curd skin.
*Spare ribs: In the west, it is mostly known as spare ribs collectively. In the east, it is Char siu when roasted red, or when roasted black.
* : Glutinous rice is wrapped in a leaf into a triangular or rectangular shape. It contains egg yolk, dried scallop, mushroom, water chestnut and meat . These ingredients are steamed with the rice and although the leaf is not eaten, its flavour is infused during the steaming. ''Lo mai gai'' is a kind of . A similar but lighter variant is known as "Pearl Chicken" .
*Congee : Rice porridge served with different savory items. The porridge one will see most often is "Duck Egg and Pork Porridge"
* : A type of flaky pastry. Char siu is one of the most common ingredient used in dim sum style sou. Another common pastry seen in restaurants are called "Salty Pastry" which is made with flour and seasoned pork.
*Taro dumpling : This is made with mashed taro, stuffed with diced shiitake mushrooms, shrimp and pork, deep-fried in crispy batter.
*Crispy fried squid : Similar to fried calamari, the battered squid is deep-fried and normally served with a sweet and sour dip. One may also get a variation of this dish prepared with a salt and mix. In some dim sum restaurants, octopus is used instead of squid.
*Rolls
**Spring roll : a roll consisting of various types of vegetables — such as sliced carrot, cabbage, mushroom and — and sometimes meat are rolled inside a thin flour skin and deep fried.
**Tofu skin roll : a roll made of Tofu skin
*Cakes
**Turnip cake : cakes are made from mashed daikon radish mixed with bits of dried shrimp and pork sausage that are steamed and then cut into slices and pan-fried.
**Taro cake : cakes made of taro.
**Water chestnut cake : cakes made of water chestnut. It is mostly see-thru and clear.
*Chien chang go : "Thousand-layer cake", a dim sum dessert made up of many layers of sweet egg dough.

Sweets

*Egg tart : composed of a base made from either a flaky puff pastry type dough or a type of non-flaky cookie dough with a egg custard filling, which is then baked. Some high class restaurants put bird's nest on top of the custard. In other places egg tarts can be made of a crust and a filling of egg whites and some where it is a crust with egg yolks. Some egg tarts now have flavors such as taro, coffee, and other flavors. There are also different kinds of crust. There is also a flaky crisp outer crust with layers and layers of crunchy crumbs.
*Jin deui or Matuan : Especially popular at Chinese New Year, a chewy dough filled with red bean paste, rolled in sesame seeds, and deep fried.
* : A dessert consisting of silky tofu served with a sweet ginger-flavored syrup.
*Mango pudding : A sweet, rich mango-flavoured pudding usually with large chunks of fresh mango; often served with a topping of evaporated milk.
*Sweet cream buns : Steamed buns with milk custard filling.
*Malay Steamed Sponge Cake : A very soft steamed sponge cake flavoured with molasses.
*Longan Tofu: almond-flavoured tofu served with longans, usually cold.

Fast food and premade dim sum

Certain kinds of instant dim sum have come onto the market in Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan and Singapore. People can enjoy snacks after a 3-minute defrosting and reheating of the instant dim sum in a microwave oven.

Some stalls serve "street dim sum" which usually consists of dumplings or meatballs steamed in a large container, but served on a bamboo skewer. The customer can dip the whole skewer into a sauce bowl and eat while standing or walking.

Dim Sum can be purchased from major grocery stores in most countries with a Chinese population. These dim sum can be easily cooked by steaming or microwaving. Major grocery stores in Hong Kong, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Mainland China, Malaysia, Thailand, USA and Canada have a variety of dim sum stocked at the shelves. These include dumplings, ''siu maai'', ''bau'', ''cheong fun'', ''lo bak go'' and steamed spare ribs. In Singapore, as well as other countries, dim sum can also be purchased from convenience stores, coffee shops and other eateries. In Malaysia, one can buy halal-certified dim sum with chicken replacing pork.

Ci fan tuan

Cí fàn tuán is a kind of food in Chinese cuisine, originated in . It is made by tightly wrapping a piece of ''youtiao'' with glutinous rice. It is usually eaten as breakfast together with sweetened or savory soy milk in Eastern China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

In Hong Kong, it is usually known as ci faan . In Shanghai, the equivalent term ''cifan'' means compressed glutinous rice generally, and is used in compound names such as ''cifan gao'', "glutinous rice cake", a toasted cake also made from compressed glutinous rice.

In recent years, there have been innovations on the traditional ''ci fan tuan'', originating from Hong Kong and Taiwan, then reverse-introduced into Shanghai and its vicinity. Today, ''ci fan tuan'' is commonly available in two varieties. The "savoury" variety includes ingredients such as ''zha cai'' , ''rousong'' and small pieces of ''youtiao'' being wrapped in the rice ball. The "sweet" variety adds sugar and sometimes sesame to the filling.

Chicken feet

Chicken feet are a part of chicken that is eaten in and South African cuisine. The majority of the edible meat on the feet consist of skin and tendons, without much muscle. This gives the feet a distinct texture different from the rest of chicken's meat. There are many small bones which may make it difficult to eat for some, and are often picked out before service. Being mostly cartilage, chicken feet are also very gelatinous. Some folk medicine traditions claim that chicken feet can prevent or treat wrinkles, due to their high collagen content.

Chinese cuisine

In Chinese cuisine, it is often an option at dim sum restaurants, served as "phoenix talons" . The chicken feet are fried first in order to make them puffy before being boiled and marinated, usually in black bean sauce. Sometimes duck feet are used in dim sum instead of chicken feet. Duck feet with mustard, which is often served with vinegar, fresh green pepper and crushed garlic, is a popular salad/appetizer.

South African cuisine

These feet can also be referred to as abortion hands. In South Africa, chicken feet are mainly eaten in Durban and Soweto, where they are known as "walkie talkies" and "chicken dust" respectively. They are mostly prepared and eaten in the inner cities and townships. The feet are boiled to remove the hard skin and are then covered in seasonings and grilled. The name "chicken dust" derives from the dust that chickens create when scratching the ground with their feet.

Char siu

Char siu , otherwise known as barbecued pork in China or Chinese barbecued/roast pork outside China, is a popular way to prepare pork in Cantonese cuisine. It is classified as a type of ''siu mei'', Cantonese roasted meat dishes.

Chinese cuisine

"Char siu" literally means "fork burn/roast" after the traditional cooking method for the dish: long strips of seasoned boneless pork are skewered with long forks and placed in a covered oven or over a fire.

The meat, typically a shoulder cut, is seasoned with a mixture of honey, five-spice powder, , soy sauce, hoisin sauce, red food colouring and sherry or . These seasonings turn the exterior layer of meat dark red, similar to the "smoke ring" of American barbecues. Maltose may be used to give char siu its characteristic shiny glaze.

''Char siu'' is typically consumed alongside a starch, whether inside a bun , with noodles, or with rice . The accompaniments served with char siu are strongly influenced by regional variation.

Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, char siu is usually purchased from a ''siu mei'' establishment, which specializes in meat dishes — ''char siu'', soy sauce chicken, white cut chicken, roasted goose, etc. These shops usually display the merchandise by hanging them in the window. As a result, ''char siu'' is often consumed alongside one of these other meat dishes.

Southeast Asia

In Malaysia and Singapore, ''char siew rice'' is found in many Chinese ''shāo là'' stalls along with roasted duck and roasted pork. It is served with slices of char siu, cucumbers, white rice and drenched in sweet gravy or drizzled with dark soy sauce. Char siew rice can also be found in Hainanese chicken rice stalls, where customers have a choice of having their char siew rice served with plain white rice or chicken-flavoured rice, and the same choice of garlic chilli and soy sauces.

Japanese cuisine

''Chāshū'', despite its literal meaning of "fork roasted", is browned first then simmered, resulting in a softer, moister texture that better complements typical accompaniments such as ramen than roasting would. ''Chāshū'' is typically seasoned with honey and soy sauce like its Chinese counterpart, but without the red food colouring, sugar and five-spice powder.

Chai tow kway

Chai tao kway is a common dish or dim sum of in Chaoshan, Singapore and Malaysia. It is also known as "fried carrot cake" or simply "carrot cake" in Southeast Asian countries, due to the fact that the word for daikon , one of its main ingredients, can also refer to a carrot . However, it is not to be mistaken with the Western carrot cake.

It is made of rice flour and white radish. In Malaysia this is often served in large rectangular slabs which are steamed and then later fried whole.

In Singapore, however, it is more commonly cut into pieces and stir fried with soy sauce, , garlic, spring onion and occasionally dried shrimp. There are two variants: the "white" version does not use sweet soy sauce, and the carrot cake is fried on top of a beaten egg to form a crust; the "black" version uses sweet soy sauce, and the egg is simply mixed in with the carrot cake.

Alternatives to Chai tao kway include those made of rice flour and taro.

Zhaliang

Zhaliang is a kind of food in Chinese cuisine. It is made by tightly wrapping rice noodle roll outside of ''youtiao'' . It is most popular in the Guangdong province of southern China, as well as in Hong Kong.

For breakfast, it is usually eaten with soy milk.

For dim sum, it is often sprinkled with sesame and layered with soy sauce. Other ingredients include hoisin sauce or sesame paste to the likes of tahini.

Water chestnut cake

Water chestnut cake is a sweet dim sum dish made of shredded . During ''yum cha'' the cake is usually cut into square-shaped slices and before serving. The cake is soft, but holds its shape after the frying. Sometimes the cake is made with chopped water chestnuts embedded into each square piece with the vegetable being visible. One of the main trademark characteristics of the dish is its translucent appearance.

It is one of the standard dishes found in the dim sum cuisine of Hong Kong, China, and is also available in select overseas Chinatown restaurants.

Turnip cake

Turnip cake is a dim sum dish made of shredded radish and plain rice flour. Despite the name, turnip is not an actual ingredient, hence the less commonly-used but more accurate name of daikon cake. It is sometimes also referred to as radish cake. During ''yum cha'', turnip cake is usually cut into square-shaped slices and before serving. Each cake has a thin crunchy layer on the outside from frying, and soft on the inside. It is one of the standard dishes found in the dim sum cuisine of Hong Kong, China, and overseas Chinatown restaurants. It is also common in Chinese New Year festivals.

Preparation

To prepare a turnip cake, Chinese radish are first shredded. Chinese radish, either the white-and-green variety or the all-white variety, is one of the key ingredients since it makes up a large portion of the cake. The other key ingredients are water and rice flour. Corn starch is sometimes added as it aids in binding the cake together, especially when a large number of additional ingedients are added. The ingredients are stirred together until combined along.

Additional ingredients that provide umami flavouring can be also added. They include chopped-up pieces of:

*Reconstituted dried shrimp
*Reconstituted dried Shiitake
*Chinese sausage
*Jinhua ham
*Shredded carrots

These flavouring ingredients may first be stir-fried before being added to the radish and flour/starch mixture. Somewhat more luxurious cakes will add larger amounts of these ingredients directly to the mixture. Cheaper variants, especially those sold in dim sum restaurants will often just have a sprinking on the top, to keep costs down.

This combined mixture is then poured in a steamer lined with greased aluminum foil or cellophane, and steamed at high heat for 40 to 60 minutes until it solidifies into a gelatinous mass.

Note that variations for specific tastes do exist omitting some of the ingredients above and adding others.

For those with allergies to radishes, some recipes substitute turnip for radish. Taro or pumpkin cakes are other variants.

Uses

Although the steamed turnip cake can be consumed straight with soy sauce, they are commonly cooked again to add additional flavours. For instance turnip cake can be sliced into square pieces when cooled and then pan-fried until both sides turn golden. It is served with chili sauce and/or oyster sauce on the side, as condiments.

Turnip cake can also be stir-fried and made into the dish Chai tow kway.

Tofu skin roll

Tofu skin roll is a common dish in Hong Kong and among overseas Chinese restaurants. It is usually served in a small plate in twos or threes. In all cases, the outer layer is made of tofu skin.

Variety

There are a number of cooking style. The filling range anywhere from pork with vegetable, to fish or beef.

Fried

The fried version is known as . The first character "fu" comes from tofu, though the more accurate ingredient description is that the skin is made from bean curd. Some Cantonese restaurants serve the fried crispy version at night, often with mayonnaise as dipping sauce.

Steamed

The bamboo steamed version is generally known as . It is wrapped with . During the cooking process, the tofu skin is hydrated. It leaves the roll very soft and tender. This is the version most commonly served as a dim sum dish during yum cha sessions. The steamed tofu skin rolls often contain bamboo shoot.

Tofu skin

Tofu skin also known as dried beancurd or yuba is a and food product made from soybeans. During the boiling of soy milk, in an open shallow pan, a film or skin composed primarily of a soy protein-lipid complex forms on the liquid surface. The films are collected and dried into yellowish sheets known as tofu skin or soy milk skin. Because it is derived directly from soy milk, the name tofu skin is technically inaccurate.

Preparation

Tofu skin may be purchased in fresh or dried form, in the latter case, the tofu skin is rehydrated in water before use. It is often used to wrap dim sum.

Due to it slightly rubbery texture, tofu skin is also manufactured in bunched, folded and wrapped forms that are used as meat substitutes in vegetarian cuisine. Tofu skins can be wrapped and then folded against itself to make doù baō . These are often fried to give it a firmer skin before being cooked further.

Forms

Fu zhu stick

Tofu skin may also be bunched into sticks called dried beancurd stick . By bunching fresh tofu skins or rehydrated beancurd skins, then tying it tightly in cloth and stewing it, the bunched tofu skin will retain its tied shape. This bunched tofu skin is then called ''tofu chicken'' .

Meat analogue

If the maker of tofu chicken layers and bunches the tofu skins in a certain manner, they can imitate a piece of chicken breast with the skin on. The effect is completed by frying the "skin" side of the tofu chicken until it is crispy. If stuffed with vegetables, it becomes ''tofu duck''.

Log

Other methods include rolling the tofu skin tightly on a chopstick and steaming the tofu skin to form a log. When the log is sliced, each slice will be circular in form with a square hole in the center, which looks like old Chinese coins.

Gallery

Tendon (meal)

Tendon is used as a food in some Asian cuisines . One popular dish is Suan Bao Niu Jin, where the tendon is marinated in garlic. There is a recipe for braised tendons here.

Taro dumpling

Taro dumpling is a variety of dim sum served within Chinese cuisine. It is a standard dish in dim sum restaurants in Hong Kong and around the world. Among overseas Chinatowns, it is often sold as a .

The outer shell is made from a thick layer of taro that has been boiled and mashed. The filling is made from seasoned pork. The dumpling is , and the outermost layer of taro becomes crisp, light, and fluffy.

Taro cake

Taro cake is a dish made from the vegetable taro. While it is denser in texture than radish cakes, both these savory cakes made in a similar ways, with rice flour as the main ingredient. When served in dim sum cuisine, it is cut into square-shaped slices and before serving. It is found in Hong Kong, China, and overseas Chinatowns restaurants. Other ingredients often include pork and Chinese black mushroom, or even Chinese sausages. It is usually topped with chopped scallions.

Variety

Dim sum

The pan fried square taro cake is semi-crunchy on the outside and medium-soft on the inside. It is also the most consistent version with more or less the same formula in and Southeast Asia, or among overseas communities.

Regional home-style

The other version is the more home-style baked version. Usually it uses the same ingredients and steamed for long periods of time in a deep pan until it is ultra soft and pasty. The formula varies greatly depending on the family recipe or regional tastes.

Frozen taro cake

Some restaurants offer taro cakes cut into small cubes as part of a main course appetizer to a major Chinese cuisine. These are sometimes frozen to a more solid state. Though it is not nearly as common as the other forms.

In other cultures

A similar dish is prepared in the cuisine of Vietnam, where it is called ''bánh khoai m?n''.

Steamed meatball

Steamed meatball is a dim sum dish. It is popular in Hong Kong, China, and most overseas Chinatowns. The meatball is made of beef, and usually has a tofu skin layer in the bottom, garnished with some vegetables like scallions. It is served with the standardized non-Chinese worcestershire sauce worldwide. The sauce in Hong Kong is known as kip zap , and is entirely optional.

Spring roll

Spring rolls are fried pastries that can be found in several Asian countries, most notably China, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia.

Regional

East and Northern China

In Chinese cuisine, egg rolls differ from the spring roll. There are sweet spring rolls with red bean paste inside from areas in Eastern China, such as Zhejiang and Northern China. Spring rolls are usually eaten during the Spring Festival in China, hence the name.

Taiwan

In Taiwan, spring rolls also come in a number of varieties. They can generally be divided into fried and non-fried varieties.

Fried vs. Non-fried

Fried spring rolls are generally smaller and crispier. They can be sweet or savory; the latter are typically prepared with meat or vegetables. This version is fully wrapped before being or deep fried.

Non-fried spring rolls are typically bigger and more savory. In contrast, non-fried spring rolls typically wrap the wrapping with pre-cooked ingredients. The most commonly eaten style of non-fried Taiwanese spring rolls is called ''runbing'' in . Traditionally, non-fried spring rolls are a festive food eaten during the and the in spring to remember and pay respect to . The Hakka population sometimes also eat spring rolls on the 3rd of March in the lunar calendar every year. The wrappings can be a flour-based mix or batter.

Northern vs. Southern Taiwan

In Northern Taiwan, the ingredients are generally flavored with herbs, stir-fried and sometimes topped with a finely ground peanut powder before being wrapped. The northern-Taiwanese style spring roll is usually lightly topped with or accompanied by a soy sauce.

In Southern Taiwan, the ingredients are generally boiled or blanched in plain water. Sometimes or superfine sugar is added along with the peanut power before all the ingredients are wrapped.

Hong Kong

Spring roll is usually available as a dim sum dish.

Vietnam

''Ch? giò'' is a traditional Vietnamese food, literally means ''minced pork roll''. The most common English translation is ''spring roll'', although this is just a fancy name as the food has nothing to do with spring. Ingredients include ground pork and shrimp mixed with chopped shiitake mushrooms, shredded carrots, and special seasoning, wrapped in moistened rice paper, then fried to a crispy golden color. Egg white is used as a paste to seal the rice wrapper into a roll form. Cha gio can be consumed alone or wrapped with lettuce and dipped in fish sauce. It can also be served with rice noodles garnished with green herbs, which comprise the dish bún ch? giò.

In some restaurants, ''g?i cu?n'', a Vietnamese salad roll, is also translated as ''spring roll'', while some others prefer the term "summer roll." Ingredients include slivers of boiled pork, fresh herbs, lettuce, sometimes fresh garlic chives, rice vermicelli, all wrapped in moistened rice paper, served cold with dipping sauce n??c ch?m. The salad roll is easily distinguished from a ''minced pork roll'' by the fact that it is not fried, the ingredients used are different.

At some restaurants, ch? giò is incorrectly translated in English as "Egg rolls", and sometimes "Imperial rolls". ''Egg rolls'' are significantly different from ''ch? giò'', as the wrapper is a wheat flour sheet instead of moistened rice paper. However, many Vietnamese restaurants in America have adopted the wheat flour sheet to make their ch? giò, since it makes the rolls harder to break when fried, and the rolls stay crispy for longer period of time.

Australia

In Australia, where there is a tradition of westernising dishes, the Australian counterpart is known as the Chiko Roll. See .

Philippines and Indonesia

''Lumpia'' is the name for spring rolls in the Philippines and Indonesia.

Europe

In the Netherlands and Belgium, spring rolls are known as ''Loempia.'' They are thought to have been introduced by immigrants from Indonesia. Loempia's are filled with Taugeh, bean sprouts, chopped omelette, and sliced ham.

Mexico

In Mexican fried spring rolls are similar to Chimichangas, while non-fried spring rolls are similar to burritos.

Costa Rica

In Costa Rica spring rolls are called in spanish ''"Tacos Chinos"'' , offered in almost all the chinese restaurants as an entree or appetizer.

Spare ribs

Spare ribs are a variety of pork , cooked and eaten in various cuisines around the world. They are the most inexpensive cut of pork ribs. They are a long cut from the lower portion of the pig, specifically the belly and breastbone, behind the shoulder, and include 11 to 13 long bones. There is a covering of meat on top of the bones as well as between them.

Terminology

In Western countries such as United States or Canada, spare ribs are generally called either "spare ribs" or "boneless spare ribs" .

Spare ribs are also popular in and American Chinese cuisine, they are generally called ''paigu'' . When removed from the bone and roasted, or when roasted to a red color, they are called ''char siu'' .

In County Cork, Ireland, spare ribs are boiled and eaten with potatoes and turnips. This dish is called ''bodice'' locally.

Preparation

In Chinese and American Chinese cuisines

In Chinese cuisine, spare ribs are generally first cut into 3-4 inch sections, then may be , , or .

In the Cantonese cuisine of southern China, spare ribs are generally red in color and roasted with a sweet and savory sauce. This variety of spare ribs, called ''char siu'', is grouped as one of the most common items of ''siu mei'', or Cantonese roasted meat dishes.

In American Chinese cuisine, spare ribs are generally cooked in ''char siu'' style, and often feature as a part of the appetizer dish called pu pu platter.

In American cuisine

Spare ribs are also popular in some regional cuisines of the United States. They are generally cooked on a barbecue or on an open fire, and are served as a slab with a thick sauce. are trimmed and have the brisket bone removed, while ribs are trimmed even further, and have the hard bone removed.

Consumption

Spare ribs are usually consumed individually by hand, with the small amount of meat adhering to the bone gnawed off by the eater.