Saturday Night - Dim Sum Delight - A Cooking Class

I love Yum Cha or Dim Sum – its glorious Chinese tapas!  Dumplings, turnip cake, spring rolls and chicken feet – so lovely when enjoyed on a Sunday over copious cups of tea.  So, how hard could it be to make these little delicious tastes?

I found out on a rainy Saturday night in a unprepossessing row of shops in Walthamstow when I arrived to try out Dim Sum making.  Having had lunch with friends earlier in the day, I had a little liquid courage so I leaped right into the experience with my usual enthusiasm.  We were to make:

•         Chiu Chow Steamed Dumplings [pork dumplings that resemble very small                     empanadas]
•          Har Gow [Prawn Dumplings that resemble little Cornish pasties]
•          Sui Mai [open top port dumplings]

The first hour was spent creating the fillings.  The Har Gow needed prawns finely minced mixed with corn flour, salt, water chestnuts, ginger, sugar and white pepper.  Corn flour became a theme for the evening as all of the fillings use this to help the ingredients combine.

Sui Mai was great fun – having mixed all the ingredients, you need to take the pork mixture, stand up and throw it into your bowl.  This loosens the protein threads and you can see the change.  The instructor – who was lovely if a little exhausted having taught a class earlier – explained that the pork needed to have 20% fat (even if you had to add a bit) as this kept the filling succulent when steamed.

We then made the filling for the steamed dumplings which used similar ingredients.  Chatting to the various people on the long table was entertainment in itself, especially the lovely boys off for a night in Vauxhall and making dim sum as a birthday treat.

Then came the dough which essentially involves wheat starch, salt, sugar, tapioca flour and corn flour – then boiling water and oil.  All the dry ingredients are mixed then the boiling water added before being covered for 2 minutes to cook the flour.  You then add the veggie oil and mix into soft dough. 

Divide into 10 pieces and then you get to start making the individual dim sums.  You roll each individual ball into a circle as thin as possible and then use a pastry cutter to cut a circle.  Pop a little of Chiu Chow or Har Gow mixture into the middle then either fold it over like a taco.  Crimp the edges for Har Gow similar to how you work a Cornish pasty and simply close the Chiu Chow edges smoothing them.

We used premade pastry for the Sui Mai and dolloped a little into the middle of the circle then created a circle with your fingers and pushed the dough up the sides of the mixture (similar to a cup).

The results where then steamed, eaten and laughed over [well, we had all bought wine by then which helped with the realisation that I would never be a dim sum master].  Was it worth it?  Well £35 for a fun evening and the opportunity to try something different – definitely! 

L xx

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