Dim sum — the broad category of small portions served during yum cha (tea drinking) — encompasses dozens of distinct preparation techniques: har gow (steamed shrimp dumplings), siu mai (open-faced pork and prawn dumplings), char siu bao (steamed or baked barbecue pork buns), cheung fun (rice noodle rolls), egg tarts, and turnip cakes. Each has a specific dough, filling, and cooking technique. The connecting principle: small portions of maximum craft, designed to be eaten in one or two bites.
**Har gow (steamed shrimp dumpling):** - Wrapper: wheat starch + tapioca starch + boiling water — produces a translucent, slightly sticky wrapper that is specific to har gow (no wheat gluten = no elasticity = must be handled differently from pasta dough). - The translucence is the quality indicator — the pink shrimp filling should be visible through the wrapper. - Filling: whole shrimp + bamboo shoot + sesame oil + soy + white pepper + cornstarch. - 7 pleats on the wrapper: the traditional standard — more pleats indicate skill; 5 is acceptable; fewer is not har gow. - Steam: 6–8 minutes over high heat. **Siu mai:** - Wrapper: thin round wonton skin — wheat flour, egg, water. - Pork and prawn filling, open-faced. - Garnish: a dot of fish roe, carrot, or pea on top. Decisive moment: The har gow wrapper. The starch-based dough must be worked while still hot from the boiling water addition — it becomes unworkable as it cools. The entire wrapper production must be completed while the dough is warm.
China: The Cookbook