This Month's Fare

Dim Sum—Small Plates with Big Flavor

Food forges social bonds in every culture, but the Chinese dim sum experience takes it to a whole new level. There are countless varieties of dim sum, with new ones invented every day. In fact, there’s a teahouse in the Canton region of China that offers 2,000 different kinds of dim sum!

On the typical dim sum cart, you’ll find steamed and fried dumplings with meat—or vegetable-based fillings, sweet or savory breads and buns, lacquered duck, roast marinated pork, and even desserts like mango pudding and individual egg custards. But you don’t have to go to a Chinese restaurant to sample these treats—it’s easy to create dim sum in your own kitchen!

Simmer pork ribs with Kikkoman Soy Sauce, sherry and sugar for finger-licking ribs that will disappear quickly at your next cocktail party. They’re great for a buffet, too!

For authentic-tasting Chinese-style pork buns, add a touch of Kikkoman Oyster Sauce and Soy Sauce to Chinese barbecued pork, wrap in bread dough from the refrigerator case, and bake.

Toss shredded red cabbage, jicama and carrots with a citrusy dressing made with Kikkoman Lime Ponzu for a healthy Asian-style slaw.

Sauces and condiments add another layer of flavor to dim sum. Each item on a dim sum menu has its appropriate sauce or condiment, and when you’re serving dim sum at home, there are lots of Kikkoman products to choose from, like  Hoisin Sauce and Plum Sauce to Thai Style-Chili Sauce and Ponzu.

Dim sum started as snacks to go with tea, and tea is still the traditional beverage at dim sum restaurants. There’s a wide variety of choices, from green to oolong to black tea—even dried chrysanthemum flowers infused in hot water for those who are avoiding caffeine.

Kikkoman likes dim sum so much that we’ve made it the theme of the latest issue of “K” magazine. It’s packed with info, tips and recipes—sign up to start your free subscription: http://www.kikkomanusa.com/homecooks/offers/subscribe.php.