Chinese Dim Sum & Dishes-Dim Sum

Dim Sum, a staple of Cantonese cooking

As the basic Cantonese dish, some people say that Dim Sum is the flower of Cantonese food. Most Macao locals have a light breakfast or lunch of Dim Sum and enjoy a meal for dinner. Locally, they call it Yumcha. Take the time to enjoy Dim Sum for lunch while staying in Macao.

The best 3 types of Dim Sum

Steamed Shrimp Dumplings

A chewy half-transparent cover filled with shrimp and pork. You will be surprised by the size of the shrimp and the sweet juice which oozes from the shrimp when you chew on it. It’s one of the most popular Cantonese Dim Sum dishes, with a taste you can never forget.

Steamed Pork Siu Mai

This Dim Sum has a pork and shrimp filling, covered with a thin layer of dough mixed with eggs. Some expensive Siu Mai have fish roe, crab roe, or are decorated as a swallow’s nest. It’s divided into Southern style Siu Mai, which is the one available in Macao, and the Northern style.

Steamed Pork Dumplings

This is Shanghai-style Dim Sum. With its thin cover, it’s stuffed full with succulent pork filling. You put the Dim Sum on the spoon and open the cover with the chopsticks, sipping on the juice from the meat first, and then enjoying the Dim Sum after. Adding some thinly cut ginger and vinegar really enhances the flavor.

Dim Sum for the Brave and Adventurous

Chicken Feet

Chicken feet boiled with Cantonese sauce, which are full of fruitful collagen; it has become popular among female travelers recently.

Glutinous Rice with Assorted Fillings

This is chicken with chewy rice, all covered in a lotus leaf. If you enjoy the unique smell of the lotus leaf, you will definitely like this.

Steamed Beef Balls

Beef is minced well and steamed into the shape of a ball. The combination of cilantro, dried orange peel and sesame oil give the beef an amazingly fresh flavour.

Turnip Cake

This Dim Sum features a puree of ground white radish that’s mixed with sauteed preserved pork, small dried shrimps, and dried mushrooms, and then steamed before finally, it is slightly grilled.

Dim Sum for those who want to delight their taste buds

Steamed Barbecued Pork Buns

This Dim Sum has a thick outer layer, akin to steamed buns, and is stuffed with a sweet pork filling which has been boiled in soy sauce and sugar. As it’s bigger in size than other Dim Sum, it’s particularly popular with those who prefer to travel on a full stomach.

Deep-fried Shrimp Dumplings

Deep-fried shrimp dumplings, have a cover that’s as crunchy as nachos. It’s classified as Dim Sum, but some restaurants simply label it as a dish.

Dumpling in Soup

This is a big Dim Sum, served within a soup. It’s a type of high-quality Dim Sum, accompanying soup made from chicken bone which has aged 10 years. In Macao, it’s a hugely popular health food. The flavor of the soup is quite thick.

Steamed Chives Dumplings

A Dim Sum which includes minced pork and chives. Thanks to the unique flavor of the chives, it’s not as greasy as the other Dim Sum.

Steamed Pork Ribs

This Dim Sum features steamed pork ribs marinated with soy sauce and garlic. The taste of sweet marinated sauce and a delicate pork taste is well harmonized.

Rice Noodle Roll

Grind the rice very finely and, after thinly spreading it, steam it. The thinly spread cover is then filled with shrimps, meat, or vegetables and then wrapped. It is often served with soy sauce. The soft cover helps with digestion, which is perhaps why it’s a breakfast staple in Macao. It’s served in a variety of different ways, such that it may seem that every restaurant has its own particular special recipe.

Spring Rolls

This is a deep-fried Dim Sum that’s filled with vegetables and meat, wrapped with several covers made out of flour. It’s like one of the spring rolls you can find on the menu at Vietnamese restaurants. The crispy, yet soft texture of the filling makes for a great combination in terms of tastes and textures. Meanwhile, it is interesting to note that increasingly these days, the meat filling is being replaced with shrimp, instead.