Top 5 Dim Sum

What is Dim Sum?

Dim Sum is small portions of cooked foods served hot and always with a cup of tea. They are made to take small bites as snacks not a full meal. The reason you don’t want to just pop a whole piece in your mouth all at once is because they can be very hot and you’ll miss all the savory flavor that these snacks have to offer.

One of my favorite tea cups that I bought on a trip to China Town in L.A.

Where Did Dim Sum Come From?

Dim Sum originally began in China as “yum cha” which in English translates to drinking tea. Tired Travelers would stop in for a cup of tea and as the tradition grew in popularity tea houses started popping up all over the roadsides. Later when people started to learn that tea helps with digestion the owners of the tea houses started offering snacks to go with their tea. The reason they started calling it Dim sum is because the words mean ‘Touch the Heart’ and that’s exactly what these little snacks are meant to do .

Why is Dim Sum served for brunch?

When I first tried Dim Sum, in a ridiculously big restaurant in San Francisco, I had so many questions. I couldn’t believe how many people were there for Sunday Brunch! I’ve had many different Asian type snacks in many restaurants over the years but never served in the morning and it was all a very strange experience for me at first. What I soon found out was that many people in the food industry believe that tea time or as they would call it “Yum Cha” inspired brunch. To me that makes perfect sense because growing up in my home, we always started the morning off with a hot cup of tea. So, why not add some yummy snacks to it too, right?

What kind of snacks are considered Dim Sum?

To help you understand what kind of snacks are considered Dim Sum we’ve put together a video playlist of our Top 5 Favorites! All of which we have individually filmed for you as well! I hope you enjoy watching them and learning how to cook them for yourselves. Potstickers, Shrimp Dumplings, Red Sauce Wontons, Wasabi Chicken Feet, Crab Wontons(Rangoons).

PMGK’s Top 5 Dim Sum Recipes – PoorMansGourmet

Sweet Potato Fries

The Best Sweet Potato Fries

How can I claim that this is, without a doubt, the best Sweet Potato Fries recipe; in short, I can’t. But I can say that, after trying these fries, I couldn’t imagine that they get any better. And one of the things that I’ve, personally, figured out about cooking and eating fried sweet potatoes is that you want to keep it simple. The real secret is in the sauce or in this case sauce’s!

Sauce for Sweet Potato Fries

First off, you may have noticed that my Sweet Potato Fries look like regular French Fries but they’re not. Sweet Potatoes aren’t all orange, they’re white too. And, just to clear the air, Yams and Sweet Potatoes are pretty much the same thing. In all honesty, I think that the orange color in Yams make beautiful fries and I would rather have used them instead for the purpose is of this blog post because I think they’re prettier to look at. But for the same purpose of this post, I intentionally used the white Sweet Potatoes to prove the point that it doesn’t really matter which one you choose to use. Either or, they will both taste the same. And like I already mentioned, the real secret is in the sauce.

I make both a Spicy Mayo and a Barbecue Fry Sauce and in truth, I think you’ll like the Barbecue Fry Sauce the best. By now, the world has become very familiar with the spicy mayo and they’ve already decided whether or not they like it. Plus, if you’re not a fan of spicy food, you’re most likely going to prefer the barbecue. It’s very simple to make and it really compliments the Sweet Potato Fries. And though I didn’t add it to the ingredients list, you might want to add a touch of Sesame Oil. So, definitely give that one a try.

Sweet Potato Fries Ingredients:

1 Sweet Potato, Orange or White
Frying Oil
Season Salt to taste

DIPPING SAUCES

Barbecue Fry Sauce
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
3 tbsp Barbecue Sauce
1/2 tsp Soy Sauce

Spicy Mayo
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
1 1/2 tbsp Sriracha

Pealing the Sweet Potato is optional, but you want to cut the ends off, then slice into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices. Fry at 350 degrees for 6 to 8 Minutes then place on paper towels. Immediately Salt with Seasoned Salt before the Sweet potato Fries cool down. This allows the seasoning to stick better. For the dipping Sauces, just mix all the ingredients for each one and stir until it’s smooth, then serve your Sweet Potato Fries.

Shrimp Dumplings and Dipping Sauce

Amazing Shrimp Dumplings

If you love Shrimp, you’re going to love these Shrimp Dumplings. They’re a lot like Gyoza, or what most people call Pot Stickers, only better. Just imagine biting into one of the largest seasoned Prawns you can think of. Now picture it wrapped in a Steamed Wonton Wrapper and pan fried to perfection. I don’t know about you but that’s my idea of great recipe. The only thing missing is something to dip them in but don’t worry I’ve got you covered. As a bonus, I’ve included a Potsticker/Shrimp Dumpling Sauce recipe down below, with a video tutorial to go along with it, so there’s no room for error. After you try that you’ll never eat Pot Stickers or Shrimp Dumplings again without it!

Shrimp Dumplings Ingredients:

2 lbs Ground or Minced Shrimp
1 pkg Wanton Wraps (Nasoya)
1 chopped Green Onion
1 tbsp fresh Cilantro
2 tsp fresh chopped Ginger
1/4 cup chopped julienne Bell Pepper
1/4 cup chopped Carrot
2 chopped Garlic Cloves
1 tbsp Soy Sauce
2 tsp Sesame Oil
1 tsp White or Black Pepper (Which ever you have)

Potsticker and Shrimp Dumplings
Dipping Sauce Ingredients:

1 part Sugar
1 part Warm Water
1 part Soy Sauce
1/2 part Rice Wine Vinegar
1 chopped Garlic Clove
1/2 fresh chopped Cilantro
1/8 tsp Chili Flakes or Chili Oil

Follow the video tutorials and enjoy your Shrimp Dumplings and Dipping Sauce.