What is Dim Sum?
Dim Sum 點心 is a unique Cantonese meal tradition comprised of shared small dishes, enjoyed together with tea. While the history of the different dishes is varied, dim sum is thought to have originated in Guangzhou, the capital of China’s Guangdong province (previously Romanized as “Canton”), before being popularized in Hong Kong and evolving into the wonderful tradition it is today. Dim sum can be translated literally as “touch the heart” or “a little touch of the heart”.
We often get asked about the right way to prepare these various dishes: and the truth is, there is no one right way! You don’t need any special equipment, you can prepare our products with what you have at home. So we made this page to provide some guidance on how you can enjoy our products at home. There are three main ways of preparing dim sum that we will outline here: steaming, boiling, and pan-frying. The best method for each product is printed on the item label.
Steaming
Set a pot of water to boil.
If you are using a steam basket place items in the basket lined with a steamer paper, steamer cloth, parchment paper, or any green leafy vegetable you have in the refrigerator, so that your dumplings or buns don’t stick on the basket itself. When lining up the dumplings, make sure you leave a little bit of space in between each dumpling to prevent them from sticking to each other while steaming. Once the water has reached a rolling boil, place the basket lid on top and steam for the time recommended on the product packaging. Remove from heat and enjoy.
If you do not have a steam basket Place a heat proof mug or bowl upside down in the pot of water. Place items on a small heat proof plate with a little bit of oil, or lined with a steamer paper, steamer cloth, parchment paper, or any green leafy vegetable you have in the refrigerator, so your dumplings or buns don’t stick on the basket itself. When lining up the dumplings, make sure you leave a little bit of space in between each dumpling to prevent them from sticking to each other while steaming. Once the water has reached a rolling boil, carefully place the plate on the mug or bowl, cover and steam for the time recommended on the product packaging. Remove from heat and enjoy.
Pan Frying
To a pan heated on high, add a small amount of neutral cooking oil. Add your dim sum item to the pan. If cooking a frozen item, add ¼ – 1/2 cup of water (depending on depth of pan) and cover on medium heat. Let steam for 6 – 10 minutes. Once the water has evapourated and you hear sizzling, uncover and cook on medium high heat, and allow the dumplings to become golden brown on the bottom. If cooking pre-steamed items, simply put dumplings onto lightly oiled pan on medium high heat until desired browness and crispiness is achieved.
For the Vegan Beancurd Roll and Shrimp Beancurd Roll, defrost before pan-frying with a little bit of oil on medium low heat for approx. 4- 5 minutes each side.
For Turnip Cake, cut to desired thickness, then add a little bit of oil to a pan on medium high heat and pan-fry for appro. 4-5 minutes on each side until desired golden brown and crispiness is achieved. Pro tip: you can add a weight on Turnip Cake while pan-frying to achieve crispier result!
Boiling
Set a pot of water to boil.
Once the water has reaching a rolling boil, add your dumplings to the water. Once your dumplings are in the boiling water, pour half a cup of cold water in. Let the water return to a slow simmer, and let cook for the time specified on the products label. Remove from heat, strain and enjoy.
