Okay, so the other day I got this idea to make a Hong Kong dim sum menu. I’ve always loved dim sum, but I’ve never actually tried making the menu from scratch. It seemed like a fun challenge, so I decided to go for it.
First, I gathered a bunch of recipes online. I wanted a good mix of classic dishes and maybe a few lesser-known ones. I ended up with a list that felt pretty solid – things like har gow, siu mai, char siu bao, and some egg tarts. You know, the good stuff.
Next, I went grocery shopping. This was a whole adventure in itself. I hit up a few different Asian markets to get all the specific ingredients. I found some stuff I’d never even seen before, like dried shrimp and different kinds of flour. It was pretty cool, but also a little overwhelming, to be honest.
Once I got home, I started prepping. I chopped a ton of vegetables, marinated some pork, and soaked some dried ingredients. My kitchen was a mess, but it smelled amazing. I felt like a real chef for a minute there.
- Started with the char siu bao dough. That needed time to rise, so I worked on that first.
- Then, I made the fillings for the har gow and siu mai. Lots of shrimp and pork involved.
- While those were chilling, I whipped up the egg tart filling. It seemed surprisingly easy.
The actual cooking part was…intense. I steamed the bao, then the har gow and siu mai. I baked the egg tarts. My kitchen was filled with steam, and I was running around like a crazy person, trying to keep track of everything.
Finally, after hours of work, it was all done. I laid everything out on the table, and it looked pretty darn impressive, if I do say so myself. The char siu bao were fluffy, the har gow were plump and juicy, the siu mai were flavorful, and the egg tarts were perfectly sweet and creamy.
The Taste Test
I gathered my family, and we dug in. Everyone loved it! It wasn’t exactly like the dim sum you get at a restaurant, but it was pretty close. And more importantly, it was delicious. We were all stuffed by the end. The effort paid off. I will do it again!
Overall, it was a really fun experience. It was a lot of work, but totally worth it. I learned a lot about dim sum, and I got to enjoy some amazing food. I’d definitely recommend giving it a try, but maybe start with just one or two dishes, not the whole shebang like I did!