This is one of the most exciting posts I’ve worked on so far because dim sum is near and dear to my heart. I grew up in the Guangdong province (shout out to my fellow Canto speakers 📣) in southern China where dim sum originated. Going to dim sum, or yum cha (饮茶) which means “to drink tea,” on the weekends was our version of brunch and it was always something I looked forward to. I still go to dim sum often here in the U.S. Them eggs Benedicts’ got nothin’ on shrimp dumplings.
If you’re unfamiliar with dim sum, think of it as the Cantonese version of Spanish tapas. Just like tapas, dim sum is made up of a wide variety of small plates of bite-sized dishes and drinks. Instead of drinking alcohol like you do with tapas, you sip tea at dim sum. The dishes at dim sum can be sweet or savory, hot or cold, vegetarian or not, and prepared steamed, baked or fried. There’s truly something for everyone.
The ordering process is unlike anything else. Instead of placing your order with a server, you wait for the dim sum carts (pushed around by servers) to come to you and you pick out what you want on the spot. So be sure to stay vigilant about all the carts that are going around, or else you’ll miss out on some deliciousness! I must say, though, I’ve noticed that fewer dim sum places are using the push carts or they’ve scaled back on using them. If you want the full dim sum experience, be sure to go to a place that still uses the carts.
Pictures of my recent dim sum takeout
Back to the topic at hand – the best dishes to order at dim sum. I typically don’t order many of the more common dishes like siu mai (steamed pork and shrimp dumplings), ha gow (steamed shrimp dumplings), and BBQ pork buns. But every now and then, I find myself craving them in addition to my favorites, so I figure I’ll list all the items that you can expect me to order at dim sum. Let’s get started!
- Siu Mai (烧卖): Steamed pork and shrimp dumplings. I haven’t come across many places that do these well even though siu mai is such a classic. They’re often times too dense, not juicy enough, or lacking the fresh shrimp flavor. But when they’re done right, they’re absolutely delicious.
- Ha Gow (虾饺): Steamed shrimp dumplings. The filling is predominantly shrimp with a couple of spices, so they typically have a clean, fresh shrimp flavor. I like to jazz up my ha gow with a chili sauce.
- Feng Zhao (凤爪): Braised chicken feet (yes, chicken feet). Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. It’s such a flavorful dish and I order it every time. You’re essentially eating chicken skin and tendon (no meat) that’s been steeped in a rich, black bean sauce.
- Ha Cheung (虾肠): Steamed shrimp rice noodle rolls. They have a similar flavor profile as the ha gow since the filling is just shrimp, and they’re typically served with a sweet soy sauce. I especially love ha cheung made with yellow garlic chives for that extra layer of flavor.
- No Mai Gai (糯米鸡): Steamed sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf. Along with sticky rice, there’s usually chicken, a salted egg yolk, and Chinese sausages. Heads-up, this is a very filling dish. I recommend sharing it with a friend so you have room for other stuff.
- Lau Sa Bao (流沙包): Steamed salted egg yolk custard buns. These are next-level decadence. The filling is this ooey, gooey, runny salted egg yolk custard that I just can’t get enough of. They’re the perfect balance of sweet and savory, and are my favorite buns at dim sum.
- Gao Choi Gow (韭菜虾饺): Steamed chives and shrimp dumplings. TBH, this is the better version of ha gow. The chives add an onion-y flavor that complements the shrimp very well.
- Dow Fu Fah (豆腐花): Tofu pudding with ginger syrup. The tofu is light and silky, and is just incredible with the syrup. No chewing required. I like to slurp my dow fu fah. This is one of my favorite Chinese desserts of all time.
- Lau Lin Sou (榴莲酥): Fried durian puffs. I absolutely LOVE durian and will try durian-flavored anything. The durian flavor in these puffs is less intense than the actual fruit. If you’re unsure about durian because you’ve heard some lies about it smelling like gas or onion, 😛 then these durian puffs might be a great place to start for you.
- Dai Zi Gow (带子饺): Steamed scallop dumplings. Us Cantonese folks love our seafood so much that we have to work a variety of them into our dumplings. I really like their fresh, clean scallop flavor. They might be one of the more unique dumplings but I’ve seen many dim sum places offer them.
- XO Jeung Jin Cheung Fun (XO酱煎肠粉): XO sauce pan-fried rice noodle rolls. One of the dishes I order every time I’m at dim sum. The XO sauce is everything and is quite an umami bomb of flavor. It’s made with dried scallops, Chinese ham, garlic and other spices. You have to give this dish a try.
- Po Taat (葡挞): Baked Portuguese egg tarts. This is another great dessert at dim sum. The flaky crust serves as the perfect vessel for the creamy custard center. For me, the blistered top of these tarts is what makes them the better version of the regular egg tarts.
- Ngau Paak Yip (牛柏叶): Beef tripe. Again, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. The wonderful flavor of this dish comes from a stir fry of ginger, scallion, and garlic that really permeate the tripe. It also has an interesting texture that I love. It’s soft, crunchy, and somewhat cartilaginous at the same time. If you want to get into Cantonese cuisine, or Chinese cuisine in general, get used to this texture because you’ll come across it quite often.
In addition to the dishes above, each restaurant typically has its own specialties. For example, there’s a picture above of spicy pork wontons that I recently ordered. I’m always on the lookout for interesting dim sum dishes and will usually try something new each time.
Hope you’ve found this dim sum guide helpful and let me know some of your favorites!
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