Choco or Coco, What's Your Favourite in Dimsums?

Chef Lai Che Chung of China Town Hotel has tried chocolate brownie dimsums and coconut dimsums, which he says, are fast becoming a hit.

Lovers of Chinese food would die to eat steamed dimsums -  small, bite- sized food portions served in steamer baskets or small plates. They are of Cantonese origin and are a popular choice for starters. But besides the steamed dimsums that most of us regularly have, there are other fried, pan-fried and sweet dimsums too.

Steamed ones are healthy as compared to the fried or the pan-fried ones, as the oil content is less compared to the fried dimsums.

Kothe (pan-fried) Shumai (open), Pao, Bao (steamed buns), translucent dimsums (transparent outer skin made with a mixture of tapioca and wheat flour), and fried ones like Wontons along with the innovative ones like the chocolate and coconut dimsums are some of the varieties that can be made.

As an innovation and to give some variety in the menu, Chef Lai Che Chung of China Town Hotel has tried chocolate brownie dimsums and coconut dimsums. According to him, they turned out to be a hit among the regulars, so it was  added to the dimsum festival menu at China Town.

“Chocolate dimsums are filled with a chocolate and cake crumble.  Once it is steamed, the chocolate and the cake crumble get mixed together and it gives an entirely different experience, which will prove to be a delight for those with a sweet tooth. The coconut dimsums, on the other hand, are filled with desiccated coconut moistened with some honey and cashew nuts. We serve both chocolate and coconut dimsum with vanilla ice cream,” said chef Lai

Spinach Tofu & Mushroom dimsum

•  Water – three table spoonfuls
•  Button Mushroom – 40 grams
•  Soy Sauce – one teaspoon
•  Mix a pinch of salt with maida & add three table spoonfuls of water and make six dumplings.
•  Blanch the spinach and chop it. Chop button the mushroom. Make small dices of tofu and chop the onions. Add all the ingredients and mix with soya sauce, sugar and butter.
•  Flatten the dumpling with a rolling pin and stuff the filling. Make it  in a dimsum shape.
•  Steam the dimsum for 10 minutes in a steamer. Make sure to apply some oil on the plate so that the dimsums don’t get stuck  after the steaming.

Preparation of Hot garlic sauce

•  Heat the water and add 1 tbsp of oil and heat it.
•   Add one teaspoon of chopped garlic and saute until golden brown and add three tbsp of tomato sauce and one tbsp of chilli paste along with one teaspoon of sugar.
•  Thicken the sauce with a little corn flour.
•  Pour the sauce on the pasta plate and arrange the dim sum on it.