Comments on: The Chinese Cookbook Project V: America’s Dim Sum Pioneer

By: boo_licious

boo_licious — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Every chinese will agree with your statement about pork fat as that is what they can't do without in their food. Some foods like dim sum, egg tarts just don't seem right without lard.

In Malaysia, we get the ones without the pork fat where they will replace it with seafood like scallops and prawns. Does not taste that nice but it's quite close to the real thing.

By: Barbara Fisher

Barbara Fisher — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I am one of the few Americans I know who will not recoil from the thought of eating lard. I grew up with pastry made from home-rendered lard and bacon fat used to cook food in. I still save my bacon grease and will use it to cook with--sometimes in the wok.

If I am doing Chinese food, for example, I will pop a bit of bacon grease from the jar I save it in into the wok with the peanut oil, just to add a little bit of extra flavor. Not too much--American bacon is very smoky, and I don't want that flavor to overpower the other flavors in the dish. I just want that extra little kiss of flavor.

Of course, when my Muslim friend is over--I don't do that.

By: wwjudith

wwjudith — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

For me it's not the pork-fat componant (I'm in favor of porkishness, although I think lard has an unpleasant taste) but the difficulty of finding enough adventurous eaters to make the dim sum experience broad enough, ie to allow one to eat lots and lots of different things.

Although I cannot eat spicy-hot things nor reduced cooked tomatos(not a problem in Chinese food)I feel that if it's on the dim sum cart, it's edible. Palatable? That's why you need several(or more) people, to share those less-than palatable tries and fight over the extra-palatable ones.

It's also good to have enough people to supply lots of conversation--I think going to a dim sum restaurant is, in social terms, like eating fondue but much more fun!

By: Barbara Fisher

Barbara Fisher — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Some lard does taste funny. Sometimes that is because it has started to turn rancid, sometimes, I think it has to do with the hog, or the way the lard is produced. My favorite pie crusts are made with 1/2 butter and 1/2 lard, though. It produces the flakiest, tastiest pastry.

Dim sum is all about social experiences surrounded by and lubricated with tea and excellent food. At least, that is so with me.

By: etherbish

etherbish — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Dim sum restaurants with clean bathrooms? And dim sum only on weekends? Blasphemy!

What always amazes me with dim sum restaurants is the variety of food on order. The training of a competent dim sum chef has got to be something else entirely even though a lot of the dishes consist of variations on a very few basic themes. As a side note, because of those themes, it’s actually quite possible to get a full dim sum experience with a relatively small group if you can order your dishes instead of waiting for what comes around on the carts.