Alright, so yesterday I tried something kinda wild – a dim sum buffet at home! Always loved those restaurants where they just keep bringing you tiny bamboo steamers full of deliciousness, and I figured, why not try and recreate that chaos in my own kitchen?
First, I spent a good chunk of the morning scouring the internet for recipes. YouTube was my best friend here, watching a bunch of tutorials on everything from making the perfect shrimp dumplings (har gow) to getting those fluffy steamed buns (bao) just right.
Then, the real fun began: grocery shopping. Grabbed a cart and went on a hunt. Needed shrimp, pork, ginger, scallions, all sorts of soy sauces and oils, bamboo steamers (crucial!), and of course, a mountain of dumpling wrappers. Let me tell you, finding good quality dumpling wrappers is a quest in itself.
Back home, I transformed my kitchen into a dim sum factory. Started with the fillings. The pork filling for the siu mai (those open-topped dumplings) was pretty straightforward – ground pork, ginger, soy sauce, a touch of sesame oil. Mixed it all up and let it chill in the fridge.
Next up: the har gow. These were trickier. Peeling and deveining the shrimp was tedious, but getting the right texture for the filling was even harder. I ended up adding a little bit of cornstarch to the shrimp to give it that bouncy, slightly translucent quality that you get in restaurants.
Folding the dumplings was a whole other level of challenge. Those har gow wrappers are so delicate! I probably ruined about half of them trying to get that perfect pleated shape. Siu mai were easier – just wrap the filling in the wrapper and pinch it around the edges.
For the bao, I cheated a little. Bought pre-made frozen dough. Ain’t nobody got time to make bao dough from scratch! I just filled them with some leftover pork filling and steamed them up.
Once everything was prepped, the steaming commenced. I have a two-tiered bamboo steamer, so I could steam a couple of different things at once. My kitchen turned into a sauna, but the smell was incredible.
Finally, the moment of truth: the buffet! I arranged everything on the table – siu mai, har gow, bao, some spring rolls I also grabbed frozen (more cheating!), and a few different dipping sauces.
Honestly? It was a mixed bag. The har gow were definitely the weakest link – my folding skills need some serious work. The siu mai were pretty good, though. And the bao? Well, those were devoured in seconds. So, not exactly restaurant-quality, but still a fun and delicious experiment. Plus, I have a freezer full of dumplings now, so I’m basically set for the next few weeks. Would I do it again? Absolutely. Maybe with a smaller menu next time, and definitely with more practice on those damn har gow.