Dim sum is a range of small Chinese dishes, mostly Cantonese, eaten for brunch with tea. Vancouver's Chinatown, centred on Pender Street, is Canada's largest.

Wikipedia says Cantonese dim sum culture developed rapidly in the latter half of the 19th century in Guangzhou, and that dim sum restaurants traditionally serve from steam-heated carts. Vancouver's Chinatown, centred on Pender Street, is Canada's largest, with Main, Pender and Keefer streets its busiest. Richmond, where about half of residents identify as having Chinese ancestry, has a Golden Village of Chinese malls along No. 3 Road that includes Aberdeen Centre.

Where to eat Cantonese dim sum in Vancouver

The editor picks for Cantonese dim sum in Vancouver are still in research. Meanwhile, see the Vancouver signature-dishes index or the Vancouver food guide.

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Make it at home

Serves Makes 24 dumplings, serves 41 hrIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 200g wheat starch
  • 50g tapioca starch
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 300ml boiling water
  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil
  • 300g raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon white pepper
  • 50g bamboo shoots, finely diced
  • Soy sauce and chilli oil to serve

Method

  1. Whisk wheat starch, tapioca starch and salt in a heatproof bowl. Pour over boiling water and stir vigorously until a translucent dough forms.
  2. Add neutral oil and knead the dough on a clean surface until smooth, about 3 minutes. Rest under a damp towel.
  3. Chop the shrimp into rough chunks. Mix with Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, sugar, white pepper and bamboo shoots.
  4. Divide the dough into 24 small balls. Roll each ball into a flat round 8cm wide on an oiled surface using the flat of a knife.
  5. Place a teaspoon of filling on each round. Pleat the edges to seal, forming the classic har gow purse shape with the seam on top.
  6. Steam the dumplings in a bamboo steamer lined with parchment for 7 to 8 minutes until translucent. Serve hot with soy and chilli oil.

Editor tip. Wheat starch is essential for the translucent skin; do not substitute flour. Boiling water cooks the starch on contact; work fast before it cools.

Common allergens: Gluten, Shellfish, Soy.