Dim Sum: A Pocket Guide

by Kit Shan Li

With its small plates and endless assortment of dishes, dim sum is an increasingly popular way to do brunch. For those new to this fun feast, or regulars looking to try a different dish, Dim Sum is the ultimate guidebook to this traditional Chinese meal. Perfect for popping into a purse or pocket, this handy guide identifies the 50 most popular dim sum dishes with full-color photographs, short descriptions of the ingredients, the names of the dishes in English and Cantonese, and how to pronounce them. As the carts roll by, a quick glance at the book will tell a jean gow choy bang (chive dumpling) from mong gwor bo deen (mango pudding), and demystify the contents of that bamboo steamer. With tips on restaurant etiquette and how-tos for everything from refilling the teapot to handling chopsticks, Dim Sum is yum yum for everyone.

Genres: Food, Cookbooks, Reference, Nonfiction, Culinary

80 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2004

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can only imagine how the servers would react if I attempted to order using the Chinese names (the horror, the horror). But now I'm off to see if any of my local dim sum places have take out because this evoked a massive craving for dim sum...

[Skye · Rating 4 out of 5]

very basic, but I imagine useful to have with you on the go if you are unsure

[Dawn Montalvo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I expected

I thought this was a cookbook but there are no recipes just descriptions of the different kind of dumplings and their ingredients.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, informative little guide on the basics of dim sum. I've eaten a lot of these but didn't know all the ingredients of everything, so that was interesting!

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brightly photographed and helpful pocket-sized book for lovers of dim sum. It contains very little text, and primarily functions as a field guide to identifying mystery foods, or as an aid in ordering a preferred dish.

For each dish, the book features a tasty photograph, the dish's name in Chinese characters, followed by a Cantonese pronunciation, the name in English, and a brief description.

While that's helpful, it's a pity there isn't more information about how to eat it, how its prepared etc. Such a book would no longer be pocket-sized, I'm sure.

I've never managed to remember to bring this book to dim sum, oddly enough. Some day, I'll remember.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Dim Sum lover's dream. This little book is packed with color photos, Cantonese pronunciation guide and a quick description of what each treat contains or is made of for the English speaking/reading audience. Should make my next excursion to our local restaurant a real joy; now I can ask them if they make Ha cheong fun (a steamed rice noodle roll with whole shrimp inside served with a sweet soy sauce).

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so handy! Now, instead of craning to see the shelves of each cart or embarrassing yourself describing the dish you want, you can learn the names of your favorite dishes and ask for them by their proper name!

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought these as gifts for my mum and nana a couple Christmases ago. Perfect little books with great pictures and diacritic a. I would have one for myself if I thought I'd use it.

[Zara · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute!! This will be my bible when go into dimsum place that only has chinese menu that you need to tick on. I hope there is an app!

[Puku]

how am i suppose to read this icon pops up wtf