Dim Sum

Hong Kong from the Kowloon ferry

I’ve had dim sum in a number of different Asian restaurants over the years. But I don’t think I truly appreciated these little mouth-watering poppers until I went to Hong Kong. They come filled with just about anything you want to put in it: beef, chicken, pork, shrimp or a variety of veggies. But, it is most often ground pork or shrimp that we see in this country.

Lucky Peach offers a good guide to eating dim sum with the number of different ingredients, wrappers, and condiments. Serious Eats also gives a nice round up of them with an added guide for eating etiquette. Both sites discuss how dim sum is typically eaten on the weekend as brunch, called Yum Cha in Cantonese. The cha indicates the tea that is often drunk with dim sum.

There are two ways dim sum is usually served. You can fry them folded over like a pierogi or empanada or you can steam them. They may taste delicious fried, but who needs the added fat and calories? I prefer them steamed and it’s not as difficult as one might think.

Courtesy of Serious Eats

One thing you do need is a good bamboo steamer and rice or parchment paper to prevent these little goodies from sticking to the bottom. I pop the steamer on top of my wok with about 2” of water in the bottom. Once the water starts to boil, I can set it and wait for them to cook (usually about 5-6 minutes). Obviously, if you’re cooking with pork, you want to make sure that it’s cooked all the way through. I usually have one “sacrifice” to mutilate so I can see if the meat is done. Once you’ve got an idea of how many minutes, you can just keep cycling the dim sum in and out of the steamer until you’re finished. Serve with a little dipping sauce and you can make this a snack or a meal.

Here’s my recipe that got rave reviews (from my family, at least):

DIM SUM:

1 lb. ground pork

2 TB. soy sauce

1 tsp. Sriracha

1 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. rice wine vinegar

1 large garlic clove, minced

½” knob of ginger, minced

2 scallions, chopped

1 pkg. round won ton wrappers

DIPPING SAUCE:

¼ c. soy sauce

1 small garlic clove, minced

½ tsp. sesame oil

¼ tsp. ginger, minced

½ tsp. sesame seeds

Scenes from Germany

When planning a European trip, most people think of Paris, Rome or maybe Barcelona. Germany is not necessarily top on the list, which is too bad. You’re really missing something special. Berlin is as diverse and cultural as New York City while still maintaining its historical past. But for a true German experience, I would head south.

Munich certainly has its charms and I love the city sprawl. But I would look a little to the left. I’m very partial to the Black Forest, or Schwarzwald. Here is where the rolling hills and dark trees surround white washed Tudor homes with red geraniums in the window boxes. This is where you will find true German fare—meats, breads, and cheeses for breakfast, every kind of schnitzel, and spätzle, spätzle, spätzle.

Spätzle, especially käse spätzle, is just Germany’s answer for comfort food. It’s pasta in little bedraggled pieces that get doused in cheese. What’s not to love? But Germans don’t stop there. One of their favorite versions of spaetzle involves champignons, or little tiny mushrooms. That’s certainly true if you are close to the French border with the Alsace Lorraine region, another gem in Europe that is grossly overlooked.

This whole section of the globe is quintessential Europe. When you think of winding, cobbled stone streets, this area should come to mind. So very quaint. But it can also be pretty cosmopolitan.

We recently stayed in Baden Baden, a resort spa town based on Roman baths set up on naturally occurring springs. (Friedrichsbad is the well-known spa in the center of town and takes advantage of the spring water. Prepare to be nude with strangers.) With fountains literally everywhere you go, this lazy town boasts high-end shops and boutiques, fine restaurants, and plenty of up-hill walking.

And then, there’s the beer. Light or dark (helle or dunkel), a nice stein of hefeweizen is where it’s at. The Germans are pretty particular about their ingredients, too. Much like other areas of Europe that have restrictions on region, country of origin, and how a product is made, Germany has Reinheitsgebot, or the German Beer Purity Law. Only three ingredients are allowed to brew beer: barley, hops, and water.

While the Germans have certainly managed to create a fantastic product with just three things, I do think it limits them to one flavor. Here in the U.S., our craft breweries offer a range of different beer types and flavors. Add herbs? Sure. Fruit? Not a problem. To Germans, that’s heresy. But, Americans have rediscovered the joys of beer and don’t want to be confined by ingredients. We have porters, stouts, ales, lagers, and pilsners with every imaginable combination. Sometimes, I wonder what Germans would think of an American brewery that served a Sierra Nevada or a Geary’s Pale Ale. Would they love it or hate it?

When it comes to the region’s wines, I found them a little disappointing. Most whites tend to be on the sweet side, of which I am no fan. The reds are a little thin and Germany has a much smaller percentage of their wine crop devoted to reds anyway. I did have a pleasant glass of Müller-Thurgau, but again a touch on the sweet side. It would, however, have paired well with a charcuterie board and cheeses. The German sparkling wine was also a pleasant surprise. Crisp, fruity, and a little floral, it made for a lovely aperitif.

I hope to return one day. When I do, I will walk the hills seeking out a nice place in the sun to sit, have a drink, and feel very European while I’m doing it.