dimsum

[barleywino]

I'll probably regret asking this but...what exactly is it that dimsum places commonly mix with their shrimp when they make dumplings (or tofu) stuffed with shrimp? some sort of gelatin/agar, almost like a jelly bean, or tapioca pearl? I could speculate but I'm sure some insider out there in Chowland knows the true answer.

[Nancy]

bamboo.

[BarbaraF]

Often there are bamboo shoots, sometimes water chestnuts, seasonings, rice wine and a bit of cornstarch, sometimes egg white. I've not run across a recipe yet that calls for gelatin of any sort.

[cabrales]

Some dim sum places use pork fat (although not all do) :)

[barleywino]

I was afraid that was what it was, although it seems just a tad firm for fat...

[chococat]

I second Cabrales-- it's chunks of pork fat. That's why the dumplings are so luscious and yummy. Probably not what you wanted to hear, though...

[cabrales]

A while ago, I started paying attention what was integrated into the shrimp inside the dumpling, including those little gelatinous items (often very small).

At first I thought they were waterchestnut tidbits (my least favorite ingredient in the world perhaps), but they didn't taste like waterchestnuts (thankfully). There sometimes are bamboo shoot tidbits as well, but I soon came to the conclusion that, in a number of restaurants, the gelatinous items were a meat product or fish blubber. Later, I discounted the fish blubber possibility on the grounds that it is generally more expensive than a more effective product -- pork fat. I still haven't figured out why, if it's pork fat, the fat doesn't melt upon the steaming of the dumpling.

Anyhow, around this time, I did a bit of searching on the web on combinations of the words pork fat/lard and shrimp dumpling. Here are some recipes containing the pork fat element:

http://www.cooking.com/recipes/static/recipe1185.htm
http://chinesefood.about.com/library/...

As an aside, dim sum is quite treacherous for vegetarians and other persons with dietary restrictions. Oftentimes, there is pork fat in apparently seafood or vegetable-based dim sum items. For example, pea shoot dumplings can contain pea shoots cooked in lard (or other oils). Pork-based cooking oils are actually quite common in Chinese cuisine in the US. :0

[AlanH™ (formerly AlanH)]

Not to nit-pick, but blubber does not come from fish. It comes from whales, walruses, seals, etc., none of which are fish.

[Joel Teller]

AlanH:

I'm not blubbering about your nit-picking, but perhaps Cabrales was referring to the material known as "dried fish maw" which I often see for sale in Chinese markets. I'm not sure exactly what the preparation is but I think you soak it and then it becomes a rubbery "texture" addition to soups and stews.

It could be a good substitute for pork fat in a dumpling stuffing recipe -- although if it's fried before drying, maybe it is just as fatty.

More on fish maws at the link below.

Link: http://www.yonghuat.com.sg/English/Pr...

[chococat]

I think the reason that the pork fat doesn't melt away is because it's not a processed rendered fat (like lard). Think about when you cook bacon... you can render out all of the fat, but there are still streaks of white connective tissue that the fat was contained in. And the chinese dumplings are always steamed at roughly 212 degrees F, so the fat gets melty and gelatinous but is still contained in its matrix and maintains it's unctiousness. Yum. Happy Chinese New Year...

[The Rogue]

Shrimp and/or fish paste.