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Enjoy the Dim Sum Experience!
by Kaila Chan


I come from a large Cantonese family.  My father is the oldest of 10 children, and for as long as I can remember, every Sunday all my uncles, aunts and 40 cousins would gather at my grandparent's home for dinner.  As children, it was always a time to laugh and play together.  For the adults, it was a time to eat and share stories.

On some occasions, instead of dinner, we would arrive earlier in the day for "dim sum".  Dim sum is Cantonese and translates to "touching your heart."  It is made up of a variety of steamed or fried shrimp, pork, beef or chicken appetizers. The focus of dim sum is presentation, fragrance and color.

Dim sum can be traced to the Chinese tradition of "yum cha" or drinking tea.  Weary travelers journeying along the famous Silk Road needed a place to rest, resulting in teahouses popping up along the roadside. In addition to travelers, rural farmers, exhausted after long hours working in the fields, would also head to the local teahouse for an afternoon of tea and relaxing conversation.  It wasn't long before the popular dim sum delicacies appeared at homes throughout China, eventually making its way around the world for everyone to enjoy.

Below please find some of my favorite dim sum recipes.

Potstickers

Shu Mai

Chinese Steamed Meatballs

Pork Spareribs in Black Bean Sauce

Coconut Gelatin Squares

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