Dim sum – delicious bite-sized morsels - offers a range of flavours, aromas and textures that can please almost any palate.
Chefs at one of the top-rated dim sum restaurants in Auckland, Sum Made, have curated new dim sum items drawing inspiration from nostalgic dishes.
Sum Made, located in Albany, is a premium Cantonese restaurant also known for its focus on live seafood and constantly evolving menu.
In a twist to the traditional har gow, the crystal skin shrimp dumpling is served in a mini bowl of ginseng soup. They are perfect for winter and make a delicious starter.
Not your typical dim sum item, a new offering on the menu is the sizzling beef brisket on rice noodle roll served in a claypot. This delicious Cantonese dish features tender beef brisket braised in flavourful sauce and steamed rice noodle rolls (chee cheong fun). The combination of the savoury brisket and delicate rice noodles creates a truly satisfying experience.
Also new on the menu are the fried BBQ pork buns, consisting of savoury filling of Sum Made’s secret scallion sauce Chinese BBQ pork in fried milk bread.
If you love shrimps, then there are two new dim sum dishes that are must-haves, and these are the deep fried shrimp on toast and coriander shrimp dumplings.
The seasoned shrimp paste is spread over bread then fried to perfection and topped with sesame seeds. The new dumplings are packed with prawns and coriander wrapped in a crystal skin.
One of the most interesting, nostalgic items that has been added to the menu are the Hong Kong-style savoury cookies - also known as Cantonese chicken cookies.
Despite its name, there are no chicken used in these cookies - but pork is used instead.
Legend has it that the person who created this dish was a servant in the house of Wu, an old merchant family in Guangzhou. Her name was Siu Fung or Little Phoenix, so the cookies was called Siu Fung Bing, or Little Phoenix’s Cookies.
This was popularized by an old restaurant in Guangzhou that made these little phoenix cookies after the mid-Autumn festival as a way to use up the candied pork fat that was used for mooncakes.
With the Moon festival just around the corner, the chefs at Sum Made felt this was a perfect time to introduce these cookies.
Another highlight is the crispy pan-fried water chestnut roll. Translucent in appearance, the pancake is crispy and chewy with crunchy bits of water chestnut and is best eaten hot.
***This article is written in partnership with Sum Made Restaurant.
Sum Made 心美 11 Davies Drive, Albany, Auckland Phone: 09 626 6866 Business Hours: Sat and Sun 10am-3pm, 5.30pm-10pm Mon to Fri 10.30am-3pm, 5.30pm-10pm
