My Little Dim Sum Project
Alright, so I got this idea buzzing in my head a while back about putting together a sort of ‘dim sum book’. Not like a fancy published thing, just my own little record. I love eating dim sum, right? But I kept forgetting which places had the best stuff, or even what the names of my favorite dishes were half the time. Plus, I got curious about maybe, just maybe, trying to make some of it myself.
First thing, I grabbed an old notebook. Nothing special, just one lying around. I thought, okay, let’s make this simple. I started by just listing the dim sum dishes I know I like. You know, the usual suspects:
- Siu Mai
- Har Gow
- Char Siu Bao (Baked and Steamed)
- Lo Mai Gai
- Cheung Fun
Then I thought, why not try making one? Seemed easy enough online. Big mistake. I picked Har Gow, the shrimp dumplings. Looked simple in the videos. Went out, bought the shrimp, the special flour… what a hassle already. Back home, the dough was the first disaster. Sticky mess. Wouldn’t fold right. The recipe said ‘translucent skin’. Mine looked like sad, lumpy ghosts.
Getting Real Messy
Okay, attempt one was a bust. Cleaned up the kitchen, which took forever. Decided maybe Har Gow was too ambitious. Next weekend, I tried Siu Mai. Seemed more straightforward. Just ground pork, shrimp, mushrooms, wrap it up. This one… actually worked? Sort of? They weren’t pretty like the restaurant ones, kinda lopsided. But they tasted okay! Felt like a massive win after the Har Gow failure.
So, I started jotting things down in my notebook. For Siu Mai, I put:
- Dish: Siu Mai
- Difficulty: Medium-ish? Wrapping is fiddly.
- Taste: Pretty good! Needs more seasoning maybe.
- Make Again?: Yeah, probably.
- Notes: Don’t overfill them! They get fat.
I did this for a few more attempts. Tried making Char Siu Bao filling. The pork part was fine, tasted great actually. But the bun? Another dough challenge. Mine came out dense, not fluffy. Added that to the book too, with a lower rating. This ‘book’ was quickly becoming a record of my kitchen struggles more than a guide to dim sum bliss.
What the ‘Book’ Looks Like Now
So now, my ‘dim sum book’ is this notebook with stained pages. It’s got maybe five recipes I actually tried, with notes scrawled next to them. Lots of crossed-out bits and frustrated comments like “dough is impossible” or “just buy these frozen”. It’s also got lists of dim sum places I’ve been to, with quick notes like “good Siu Mai” or “Cheung Fun was cold”.
It’s not the neat, organized thing I pictured. It’s messy, incomplete. Honestly, making dim sum from scratch is mostly harder than it looks. Respect to the chefs who do it all day. But you know what? Flipping through my messy notes, it’s kind of a fun record. Reminds me of that weekend I spent covered in flour, or the surprisingly decent Siu Mai I managed to make. It’s my personal, very real, dim sum journey, bumps and all.
Am I still adding to it? Yeah, sometimes. Mostly restaurant notes now. Cooking attempts are… less frequent. But the notebook is still there, ready for the next burst of crazy inspiration or just to remind me which place has the good egg tarts. It works for me.