Friday, October 31, 2008

Dim Sum

Dim sum (lit: touch heart) is a thriving activity in H'eung Gong. It's usually a morning or mid afternoon event. Yum cha (lit: drink tea) accompanies the eating of little dishes. Cha aids digestion and is consumed in large quantities. Food items include sweet and savoury and can get very exotic. One of the best places to enjoy dim sum is at City Hall Maxims near Admiralty (Gum Jung). Get there early and enjoy these things.

Teas:
  • Po ('bo') nei - Pu'er tea (a strong fermented cha)
  • Guk2 fa2 - Chrysanthemum flower cha
  • H'eung pin - Jasmine cha
Food:
  • Ha2 gaau - lit: shrimp dumpling
  • Chun gyun ('goon') - Spring roll
  • Chaa2 siu2 baau2 - BBQ pork bun (baau2 = bun;bread)
  • Law baat go - Turnip / radish cake (go = cake)
  • Law hon chai2 - Mixed vegetables
  • Yin y'eung fan - Tomato and white sauce fried rice
  • Cheung fun4 - White noodle paper
  • Jue cheung fun4 - White noodel paper with sesame
  • Jar2 leung - deep fried dough wrapped in rice paper
  • Yau jar2 gwai4 - lit: oil deep fried ghost - Shanghai fried dough (like a baguette)
Be careful with dim sum, it can easily be mistaken as healthy. There is very high salt content and saturated fats. Hong Kong food tends to be drowned in MSG, which in part, might explain the bad breath that's prevalent here (excessive salt consumption causes dry mouth which causes bad breath).

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