For a typical Cantonese family, going to teahouse[1] on the weekend for dim sum is like going to church for a western family. Dim sum, the quintessence of culinary intelligence, is an indispensable element for Cantonese. If you have been to a dim sum place in America, you may notice that there are dozens of different types of dim sum, ranging from salty to sweet, from meat to vegetable, from warm to cold, and from big portion to delicate small plate. Among all these diverse and exquisite culinary delicacies, “Har Gow” (also called xiajiao or shrimp dumpling) is my favorite.
Har Gow is usually considered as the most representative one in Cantonese dim sum. It always appears as the first item on a dim sum menu. Based on my experience, the quality of the Har Gow is highly correlated with the overall culinary level of a restaurant. Restaurants that can produce good Har Gow usually also offer other types of tasteful dim sum and dishes. Restaurants that are bad at producing Har Gow hardly cook anything well.
So what is Har Gow exactly? According to the online ChinaDictionary, Har Gow is a popular Han traditional snack in Guangdong Province made from wheat starch. Typical traditional shrimp dumplings are half-moon in shape, translucent, stuffed with shrimps, meat, bamboo shoots and tastes delicious.[1] Now, after knowing the definition of Har Gow, you may ask what a good Har Gow is like. In my opinion, a good Har Gow should fulfill the following criterions:
1. have thin, soft, and translucent skin
2. the skin should be as thin as possible, but not to the extent which it can be easily ruptured by chopsticks (the translucence of the skin allows Har Gow to have a reddish appearance as we can kind of see the shrimp inside)
3. the shrimp must be very fresh
4. other ingredients must be seasonal
5. taste fresh, juicy, and full-bodied
Comparing to its complicated composition, eating Har Gow is extremely simple. Some people like to dip it in soy sauce while others prefer sweet chili sauce. For me, I like it plain, so that I can have a real taste of it, slowly chew it in my mouth, and peacefully enjoy the sense of pleasure this delicacy offers me.
I don't know why, but dim sum certainly has some kind of spiritual value in my mind. While living in Guangzhou, a week without going to the teahouse for dim sum is incomplete for me. Dim sum, especially Har Gow, gives me a sense of belonging and peace which has some kind of magic power that can sweep away all my anxiety and unpleasantness.
[1] "Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow)." ChinaDictionary. N.p., 04 Mar. 2015. Web. 13 Sept. 2016. <http://chinadictionary.net/shrimp-dumplings-har-gow/>.
A few grammatical errors, but otherwise, good job!
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