Restaurants offering Dimsum in Mumbai

Chinese food made its way in to Mumbai a long time back and now has got a strong foothold here. What was once considered to be exotic food is now become a habit with the city-goers. Every nook and corner in the city sports a self-proclaimed Chinese eatery that claims to be authentic, however offers dishes substandard oriental dishes, replete Indian spices, to suit the palate of the inhabitants. It therefore is extremely important to visit only those places where there is a genuine Oriental fare and which also serve the delicate Dimsum in Mumbai.

Rolling out the perfectly made Dimsum is definitely a tribute to the cook’s culinary skills. This delicacy is seemingly simply and has a devastating taste, making the eater salivating for more. Its origins are traced to the Canton province of China. Getting Dimsum therefore is no mean feat, especially the one that is perfect in taste and presentation. Chinese cuisine makes use of ginger, garlic, mushrooms, tofu, fish, meat and poultry on a large scale. Soy sauce, vinegar, salt, chilies, pepper are used for heightening the flavors and taste. Dim sums were originally meant to be small parcels consisting of small bite sized portions of food so that all of the food could be sampled and there would be no wastage.

Dimsum offer a range of fillings like shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, pak choi, black fungus and chive. To prepare a translucent wrap for a dumpling, eggs, salt, flour, starch and vegetable oil and slightly hot water. This is kneaded to make smooth dough which is rolled in to a cylindrical shape, cut in to small portions and kept under wraps to retain moisture. Each little piece is then rolled in to a circular shape and given the desired edges. Later, fillings which could be any of the items stated before are filled in and the dimsum sealed. The Har Gao dim sum tests the chef’s skill with its thin and translucent texture, the seven to ten pleats and the perfect amount of perfectly cooked shrimp. Generally Har Gao is served with Shu Mai, the pork dumplings. Dimsum in Mumbai offers these and many other varieties in select restaurants which have strictly adhered to the original recipes and are well known for their Chinese cuisine. Dimsum is served either as a singular dish or on a platter or even in wonderfully attractive bamboo baskets. In both the cases, one gets to try out the many types of Dimsum at one go and then opt for more helpings the one which has been enjoyed the most.

The concept of Dimsum is catching up in all parts of the country, especially in metros like Mumbai where Ping Pong and other restaurants which offer authentic Chinese. They are popular especially since they make for a perfect one dish meal which combines the various aspects of food like poultry, fish, meat and vegetables in a delectable combination which is no-nonsense and easy to eat even when on the go.