Browse Techniques

Char siu so (叉烧酥, BBQ pork flaky pastry) is a dim sum preparation of a laminated, flaky Chinese pastry shell filled with diced char siu (Cantonese barbecue pork). The pastry is made using a Chinese laminated pastry technique (水油皮, shui you pi, water-oil pastry) — a water-based outer dough laminated with a shortening-based inner dough — that produces a distinctive honeycomb-like flaky structure when baked. The exterior of a well-made char siu so is snow-white, delicate, and shatteringly thin; each layer peeling away from the others as the pastry is eaten.

Feng zhua (凤爪, phoenix claws — the poetic Cantonese name for chicken feet) are one of the most time-consuming dim sum preparations and one of the most satisfying in textural complexity — the chicken feet are deep-fried until the skin puffs and blisters, then soaked in water to soften, then braised in a black bean and oyster sauce braise until the skin is pillowy-soft, gelatinous, and deeply seasoned. The collagen in the chicken feet dissolves partially during the long braising to produce the characteristic sticky, gelatinous quality — each foot clings slightly to the lips when eaten. The bones provide structure; the goal is to eat all the skin and soft tissue around each small joint while leaving the bones clean.

Fen si bao (粉丝煲, glass noodle casserole) is a Cantonese and northern Chinese preparation — dried glass noodles (fen si, 粉丝, made from mung bean starch) simmered in a clay pot with a savoury broth of oyster sauce, soy sauce, and aromatics, often with additions of prawn, minced pork, tofu, or vegetables. The glass noodles absorb the braising liquid completely, becoming translucent, slippery, and deeply flavoured. The clay pot retains heat at the table, continuing to simmer gently through the meal.

Ma lai gao (马来糕, Malay cake — a dim sum preparation with no direct Malay origin, though the name persists) is a steamed sponge cake of unusual texture — soft, slightly bouncy, with a deep caramel-brown colour from the brown sugar or molasses used in the batter, and a pleasantly sweet flavour with malty undertones. The traditional version uses a fermentation technique in which the batter rests overnight — the yeast present in the wheat flour and the alkaline baking powder interact to produce a slightly tangy, complex flavour and an extra-light texture. A correctly made ma lai gao should have an open, uniform crumb and a surface that is completely smooth and slightly shiny.

Wu gok (芋角) is one of the most technically demanding and visually spectacular dim sum preparations — a deep-fried taro paste shell containing a filling of pork, shrimp, and mushrooms, the exterior forming a delicate, lacy honeycomb (網紗, wang sha) of thin, crisp taro tendrils as it fries. The honeycomb effect is the result of the taro paste expanding during deep-frying as steam from the filling pushes through the shell, creating a network of fine, crispy projections. A wu gok without the honeycomb is considered a failure — it means either the taro paste was wrong (too little fat, incorrect water content) or the frying temperature was wrong.