Revised Blog Post 1 for Final Assignment Anthology
Har Gow
For
a typical Cantonese family, going to teahouse on the weekend for dim sum has as
high priority as going to church for a western family. Dim sum, the
quintessence of culinary intelligence, is an indispensable component in
Cantonese’ daily life. 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 meaty to vegetarian, and from warm to cold. These are all
crystallizations of generations of chefs’ creativity, efforts, and
intelligence.
Among
all these diverse and exquisite culinary delicacies, “Har Gow” (also called
xiajiao or shrimp dumpling) is my favorite. It is usually considered the most
representative among all Cantonese dim sum. Har Gow is usually listed 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 offer other types of tasteful
dim sum and dishes as 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.
Typically, Har Gow is 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 criteria:
1. has
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 fresh
4. all
the ingredients must be seasonal
5. tastes
fresh, juicy, and full-bodied
Comparing
to its complex composition, eating Har Gow is very 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.
Dim
sum certainly has some kind of spiritual value in my mind. While living in
Guangzhou, a weekend without going to the teahouse for dim sum is incomplete.
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/>.
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