Ordinary Gweilo

When I first came to Hong Kong, I was taken out for Dim Sum at lunchtime.  I was quite surprised to find that it was so different to the Chinese food that I had eaten in the UK, and amazed by the variety of dishes.  That was only the first day, and I was even more amazed to find that on the second day there were even more different Dim Sum to choose from.  And more on the third day.

Of course the excitement has worn off, and going for Dim Sum has become regular Sunday ritual and an occasional weekday treat.  If I remember to continue this series I will highlight some of my favourites and a few to avoid .    

We’ll start with Siu Luhng Bau 上海小籠包 because it’s probably my favourite Dim Sum. It originates from Shanghai, and it consists of a thin skin filled with pork and soup.  You may be wondering how they get the hot soup in, and I believe the answer is that they freeze the soup and wrap the skin around it (which seems like cheating to me). 

Tricky chaps to eat as well – you have be careful picking them up in case the skin breaks and the hot soup escapes.  This can happen if the Siu Luhng Bau sticks to the basket or one its fellow Siu Luhng Bau, or by careless use of chopsticks (that would be other people, obviously, and not me).  Plus, the hot soup can burn your mouth if you’re not careful. 

So this means that we are looking for a chef who makes the skins thick enough, and can arrange the Siu Luhng Bau in the basket with care.  The ones in the picture look to be OK, and you may notice that they have take the additional precaution of placing each Siu Luhng Bau on a small piece of carrot.  Another approach is to place each Siu Luhng Bau in its own individual metal tray, to be tipped into the mouth oyster-style (though frankly this seems like more cheating).

If you can find Siu Luhng Bau you should order them.  A big basket of a dozen or so goes down well in a Shanghai restaurant, or (failing that) the smaller basket of three in a Cantonese-style Dim Sum restaurant is good enough.