Have Some Dim Sum

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Dim sum is more than a type of meal. It is both a culinary experience
and a cultural adventure, and Chau is an excellent guide for an
excursion into a world filled with social conventions and centuries-old
traditional dishes. She explains the types of dim sum restaurants, the
language of yum cha (“to drink tea”), even how the bill is
calculated, before moving on to introduce 55 dim sum dishes.

Fifteen full-page color photos and 20 recipes make up the heart of the
work. Descriptions of numerous other dim sum treats add substance and
value to this unusual guidebook–cookbook combination.

While ambitious, adventurous cooks will want to create a few dim sum
dishes at home following Chau’s detailed recipes, most readers will
rely on the work as a “field guide” to the mysterious offerings on
the carts at the dim sum restaurants. Each description includes a
pronunciation guide, details on origin, main ingredients and seasonings,
and preparation method. The selection includes the classics familiar
even to Westerners (ha gow, cha siu bao, sui may), and the exotic (duck
feet bundle and soup in a dumpling).

The typography, design, and layout favor the artistic over the
practical, resulting in an elegant book that’s physically awkward to
use. The recipes give imperial measures only. Nonetheless, this book is
certain to be coveted by everyone intrigued by the dim sum experience.