Dim Sum

Dim sum (literally meaning "touch the heart") is the name for a Chinese cuisine which involves a wide range of light dishes served alongside Chinese tea. It is usually served in the mornings until noon time at Chinese restaurants and at specialty dim sum eateries where typical dishes are available throughout the day. Dishes come in small portions and may include meat, seafood, and vegetables, as well as desserts and fruit. The items are usually served in a small steamer basket or on a small plate. Yum cha (literally "tea drinking") is the term used to describe the dining session, especially in contemporary Cantonese.

How to Make Dim Sum
Here is a simple dumpling you can make at home. Once you've mastered the basic technique, you can change the filling, change the wrapper and alter the folds to create a variety of treats.
If you have a pasta pot with a steamer insert, this works well. If you're near a Chinatown or other restaurant supply store, you could pick up a bamboo steamer basket for full effect.

Basic Chinese style dumpling mix:

For pork dumplings start with:

* 1 lb of ground pork
* 1/2 lb of nappa cabbage or leek (steamed or boiled, chopped, press out water)
* 1/2 C scallion
* 2 TBSP or more minced fresh ginger
* 2 TBSP minced fresh garlic


Mix together: 1 TBSP of wine (Chinese Shiaoxing wine or sake) with 3 TBSP soy sauce, 1 tsp salt, 3 TBSP sesame oil. Add to ingredients above. Cornstarch or egg white may be added to bind if it seems loose.
You will also need the wrappers. These can be purchased in most Asian grocery stores. Many conventional grocery stores now carry them as well.
Make a "paste" of cornstarch and water. You'll use just a bit of this to seal your dumplings.


How to fold dumpling using round wrappers:

1. Hold the wrapper in your left hand.
2. Place about a half TBSP of filling in the center of the wrapper.
3. Fold into half moon shape.
4. Using your right index finger and thumb make a fold with the top half, sealing it to the bottom with a dab of cornstarch "paste".
5. Pleat three or four times and you've got a dumpling.

If using square wrappers:

1. Place the filling in the middle, as above.
2. Fold into triangle.
3. Seal edges with cornstarch "paste".
4. Bring far corners together and seal with cornstarch paste.
5. This will give you a classic "won ton" shape.


To Cook the dumplings:

1. Bring water to boil. I like to add a slice of fresh ginger to it.
2. Line the steamer basket with several leaves of nappa cabbage.
3. Drizzle sesame oil lightly over leaves.
4. Place dumplings on cabbage with space between.
5. Place lid on pot.
6. Steam for approximately 8-10 minutes.


Dumplings may also be boiled or pan-fried. To make traditional Japanese style gyoza we pan fry (in a TBSP or so of hot oil) then add about 1/2 C of water to the pan and cover. They're cooked when the water evaporates.


Dipping sauce:

You can get pretty creative with the sauce. To a small dish of soy sauce you can add any of the following to taste:

* Vinegar
* Sugar
* Sesame oil
* Chopped scallion or red chiles
* Chili sauce

Learn how to make dim sum by video
Click this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yEfPQbRY5U

References :
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dim_sum
2. http://www.spongefish.com/creations/1213-How-to-make-Dim-Sum-at-home/steps/1
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yEfPQbRY5U