Steaming, Dim Sum, and Tea

This is a continuation of our series on cooking with the wok, as pulled from excerpts from Renegade Wok:  New Dimensions in Wok Cooking. In this article we focus on wok steaming, dim sum, and tea.

Wok steaming is a versatile method of cooking and/or re-heating of main courses and pastries. This application requires your wok to provide a continuous steam supply, so always keep a watchful eye on the water supply.

Popular Main Steamers

• Steamed whole fish or filet fish
• Hom Yee Yook (ground pork sausage, salted fish, water chestnuts, dark soy, sugar, and cornstarch)
• Hom Don Yook (same as above, except substitute two halves of a salted duck egg)
  
  Note:   You can add pre-fried Tofu cakes or ginger slivers to the above and garnish accordingly.

Steam or Re-steamed Tea Cakes (Dim Sum, Fresh or Frozen)

Leave these menus to the professionals. Dim Sum preparation is laborious and takes a lot of time for preparation.

The selections are generally easy, as most restaurants have color pictures or even roll the Dim Sum carts by your table at five miles per hour.

Here are a few Dim Sum types to start your salivary glands going. Oriental pronunciation might confuse the waiters so it is polite to point to what you want.

Dim Sum is to tea as doughnuts are to coffee. These East and West eye-openers also wake up the taste buds and will destroy culinary will power around brunch time with copious cups of liquids. The waiters will probably challenge your integrity by asking you what kind of tea you would like.

Here are some teas of the world for your consideration. They are not all available in Chinese restaurants, but we feel that they will help bring "tea drinkers" closer together.

Tea is stimulating to drink, helps clear the taste buds, and permits you to enjoy more types of delicacies. The bouquet, aroma, and taste enjoyments are maximum when you pour in the hottest water and take the smallest sips.

If you encounter difficulty in ordering tea, just say "Whoo Me" or "Too Long," and see what you get. (They are all good!)

In the next edition of Jade Dragon Online we will focus on cooking rice in the wok.

To become a full-fledged Renegade Wokker more quickly, order the Renegade Wok source book at our discounted rate of only $9.99 (retail $12.95) using our mail order form.

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