舌尖上的美食:十大必尝的中式点心

I love taking people to eat dim sum for the first time.
我喜欢带人初试中式点心。
Most people in the US, have no idea what dim sum actually is or the etiquette behind it. It's fun to watch their eyes glaze over at the million tapas-like choices laid out before them.

在美国，大多数人都不知道中式点心到底是什么，也不知道其背后的风俗民情。看着他们对摆在面前的各种点心露出如痴如醉的表情，我觉得特别好玩。

Smiling and nodding as they look over the menu — as though anything you pick it fine by them — you can visibly watch as the overwhelmed feeling washes over them.

他们边浏览菜单边微笑点头，喜悦之情溢于言表，好像你点的任何东西他们都会喜欢。
I get it.
我的目的达到了。
Dim sum in fact, can be quite overwhelming! Add in menus with limited English, rowdy Chinese families shouting all around, and people spitting bones out on the table, it's definitely not an experience most Westerners are accustomed to.
说实话，吃中式点心有时非常让人无语！除了菜单上的英文很蹩脚外，就餐的人拖家带口闹哄哄地又喊又叫，还把骨头吐在桌子上，这氛围大多数西方人肯定都受不了。
But I love it.
但我喜欢。
Going to grab dim sum on a Sunday morning quickly became one of my favorite rituals in Hong Kong, and one I still try to fit in at least once a month here in Chicago. So to help spread that love I've decided to outline my favorite dim sum items, in hopes that you'll be more confident in ordering and will want to go give dim sum a try!
周日早晨去中式点心店饱餐一顿，这是我去香港没多久就培养出来的嗜好之一。现在在芝加哥这边，我也至少每月要抽时间去大快朵颐一次。所以呢，为了跟别人分享这种热爱，我决定简单描述一下我最喜欢的几类中式点心，希望能为你前去点餐增加些底气，同时也希望能唤起你品尝的欲望！

Har gow

虾饺

Known as the king of classic dim sum, this is a Chinese dumpling wrapped with shrimp inside. There are so many qualities that define this small dish that the skill of a dim sum chef can be determined by how well this dish is prepared.

虾饺被称为传统中式点心之王。这是一种以虾为主馅的中式饺子。这种小小的点心讲究颇多，以至于一个点心师傅手艺精湛与否，可以以他做虾饺的水平来衡量。
For example, the translucent skin of the Har Gow must be thin and clear enough where you can see the succulent pink shrimp inside but not too thin where it breaks when picked up by chopsticks.
比如，虾饺的皮要半透明，须是又薄又透，能够看到里面粉红色的虾仁，但是又不可太薄，筷子夹起时必须不破皮才行。
If it is too wet, it'll most likely be too sticky and weak where it'll break, too dry and it'll not look or taste too appealing. With so much to talk about with just the wrapping, it's easy to see why there is so much emphasis on this dish in the world of dim sum.
如果太湿，则极有可能发粘，并且容易破皮，而太干的话，外观或口感上又会打折扣。单是虾饺皮都有这么多门道，也就难怪虾饺在中式点心中如此举足轻重了。

Siu mai

烧卖

If Har Gow is the king of dim sum, the queen is Siu Mai. These two dishes are pretty much default orders when having dim sum.

如果说虾饺是中式点心之王，那么烧卖就是王后。去吃中式点心，这两样是必点之选。
Wrapped in a thin yellow coat, dim sum Siu Mai is usually made with pork, sometimes shrimp is added to the mix. To garnish, many restaurants decide to use roe to add a little orange pizzazz. This dim sum dish is so popular that it has made a leap to street food as well. However, there are differences in taste and quality as street food Siu Mai is much smaller in size and is usually made of fish paste, much like imitation crab.
烧卖外披一层薄薄黄衣，馅料常用猪肉，有时也会掺些虾仁进去。为了更具卖相，许多饭店会在里面加些鱼子，为的是增加点橙色色彩，让点心看起来更漂亮。这种点心极受欢迎，所以已经演变成街头小吃。然而，摆在街头上的烧卖跟传统烧卖在口感和品相上有所不同。街头上卖的烧卖个头小的多，且常常是鱼肉做成，很像蟹棒。

Lo bak go

萝卜糕

Literally translated as radish cake, this item is made with rice flour and finely shredded radish, and come in squares. Depending on the restaurant and the quality of the cake, savory ingredients such as dried shrimp, ham, and shitake mushrooms are added to give it a mouthwatering taste.

“lo bak go”，意译的话是萝卜糕。原料是米粉和细细的萝卜丝，成品为方形。因饭店和口味不同，糕点中有时会加入一些美味配料，如虾皮、火腿和香菇等，令人垂涎欲滴。
As the name suggests, this dish is very soft like a cake, but the outside is usually lightly fried so that you can pick it up with chopsticks and also gives it another layer in terms of texture. It is often served with chili oil or paste to enhance the flavor.
一如其名中的“糕”字，这种点心非常软和，跟蛋糕一样，但外部一般会稍加煎炸，这样筷子才夹得起来，同时也使口感更多一个层次。这种糕点常配着辣椒油或辣椒面吃，以提升风味。

Cheung fun

肠粉

These soft and white tightly wrapped rice noodle rolls get their name of “pig intestine noodles” from their close appearance to a pig's small intestines. But that's about as far as the namesake goes.

肠粉又白又软，其实就是紧紧卷成卷儿的米粉皮，因外形与猪肠极其相像而得名。不过虽然名为猪肠粉，但它跟猪肠可毫无关系。
These delightful rolls can be eaten plain or with a variety of filling like shrimp and cha siu (Chinese barbecue pork). Since these rice noodles do not have much flavor, you'll see it served often with soy sauce – depending on the restaurant, it could be a sweet or salty soy sauce. This is another dish that has made it into the street food scene where it's slathered with soy, hoisin, peanut, and hot sauces then topped off by sesame seeds.
肠粉看起来清爽可口，你可以直接吃，也可以配上各种馅料如虾仁、叉烧（中式烤猪肉）吃。由于粉皮本身没有什么味道，所以人们常常配着酱汁吃肠粉——酱汁配料因饭店而异，有甜酱，也有咸酱。这种小吃也早已发展成了街头小吃，常常被淋上酱油、海鲜酱、花生碎以及辣椒酱，最后再撒上些芝麻。

Fung zhao

凤爪

With a fierce name like “Phoenix Claws,” you know that this dish is not for the faint of heart.

While many people will not try chicken feet, this dish is usually heavily spiced with black pepper and is colored red – kind of like a phoenix. Don't knock it 'til you try it though!
名字很招人厌，“凤凰爪子”，一看名字就知道这小吃心脏不好的人是消受不了的。许多人不肯吃鸡脚，这种小吃常用大量黑胡椒提味，颜色呈红色——有点像“凤凰”爪吧。不过，不要急于否定它，尝尝先！

Cha siu bao

叉烧包

With bao (bread) being an integral part of dim sum, the phrase “drink a cup of tea, eat a bao” is a way to invite friends to have dim sum with you and catch up.

因为“包（子）”是中式点心中的主角，所以人们常常说“喝杯茶、吃个包”，以此邀请朋友一起吃点东西小聚一下。
One of the most well-known bao dishes to eat while having dim sum is cha siu bao. This dish is made with Chinese barbequed pork (cha siu) and has a sweet-savory flavor to it. Traditionally, this is a steamed bao characterized by its fluffy white appearance, but recently the baked version has come up to be on par with the classic. New twists on this dish include putting a pastry top on the bao, creating a flakey texture to complement the soft bun.
中式点心中，最负盛名的一种包子就是叉烧包。这种包子用中式烤猪肉（叉烧）做成，香甜可口。传统的叉烧包是清蒸的，松软雪白。但近些年也有烤叉烧包，受欢迎程度与传统包子不相上下。这新式叉烧包是将包子外部烤出一层脆皮，外焦里嫩。

Lai wong bao

奶黄包

Another popular bao dish is lai wong bao. This is one of my go-to desserts whenever I take Westerners to dim sum, because they all seem to love it! Filled with custard, this sweet treat also has gone through some changes throughout the years. Some restaurants are now introducing a kind that is more liquid-y (and more… delicious-y?).

另一种颇受欢迎的“包”是奶黄包。这是我带西方人去吃中式点心时的首选甜点，因为他们似乎也都很喜欢吃！这种以奶油蛋羹为里馅的甜点在这些年间也经历了一些变化。有些饭店现在推出了一种淌馅（也许更好吃？）的奶黄包。
This version is called lau sha bao for its similarity to flowing sands. Be careful though as it is very easy to burn yourself on the hot liquid filling as it gushes out!
这种新型奶黄包被称为流沙包，因为很像流沙而得名。吃的时候可要小心，因为一不小心就会被流出的热乎乎的液体馅料烫伤。

Ngau yuk kow

牛肉球

This steamed meatball has a wide range of ingredients mixed in to give it a great flavor – minced meat, water chestnuts, and sometimes coriander or scallions. Steamed with a tofu skin, this tender meatball is usually served with a Worcestershire sauce to give it a slight vinegar taste.
这是清蒸型的肉球，里面放有各种食材，所以口味绝佳：有肉末、荸荠，有时还有芫荽和香葱，最后加点豆腐皮一起蒸熟。这种柔嫩的肉球常配着伍斯特沙司吃，后者给它增加了些许酸醋味道。
Nothing like your Italian meatballs!
跟你惯常吃的意大利肉球完全不同！

Lo mai gai

糯米鸡

For a more filling dim sum item, try lo mai gai.

想来点更有饱腹感的点心？那就试试糯米鸡。
This sticky rice item is steamed with a lotus leaf to give it an extraordinary fragrance and taste. The insides of this sticky rice contain a myriad of ingredients, often including some mixture of: chicken, pork, shitake mushrooms, Chinese wax sausage, dried shrimp, and egg.
这种黏黏的大米制品是被裹在荷叶里蒸出来的，所以独有一份清香和口感。黏黏的糯米里可以有各种馅料，常见的几种是：鸡肉、猪肉、香菇、中式腊肠、虾皮和鸡蛋。

Gwai fa go

桂花糕

This dish is not found in all dim sum restaurants, but if you see it, this is definitely a must try dim sum item at the end of your meal! With a sweet flavor and fragrance, osmanthus jelly is the best dessert and palette cleanser you can find. Aside from its refreshing taste, it's also said to have health benefits.

这种点心并不是所有点心店里都有，但如果你看到有卖，在餐后一定要尝一尝！桂花糕口感清甜，是绝佳的甜点和口气清新剂。除了口味清新之外，据说还于健康大有好处。
Healthy dessert? Count me in!

去吃桂花糕？我也去！

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