Delicious snacks

Author: Zhang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: The Chinese habit of eating dim sum dates back to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, with a history of over two thousand years. The "dim sum culture" became even more mature during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Empress Dowager Cixi in the late Qing Dynasty was particularly fond of various exquisite Chinese small pastries, leading to a surge in the popularity of dim sum in both the imperial court and among the common people. The court dim sum, with its exquisite and delicate appearance, the Sino-Western style of Huaiyang dim sum, the spicy and flavorful Sichuan dim sum, the fresh and natural Guangzhou dim sum, and the rustic and rich Guandong dim sum—all have their own unique characteristics. Due to China's vast size and diverse geography, the local produce, climate, customs, and culinary traditions vary, resulting in differences in both the methods and flavors of dim sum. Enjoying the pleasure of making delicious homemade dim sum at home is not an extremely difficult task. Dishes like buns, dumplings, siu mai, steamed buns, fermented rice cakes, wontons, spring rolls, tangyuan, zongzi, and shoutao are often served during festivals, celebrations, and joyful occasions. The cooking techniques for homemade small dim sum mainly include steaming, boiling, pan-frying, deep-frying, and baking. As long as you grasp the key principles and are familiar with the properties of the ingredients, you can easily learn to make various rice and flour-based dim sum.