Dim Sum

When it comes to lunch, Chinese often prefer a dim sum restaurant, especially when there's a big group of diners. "Dim sum" literally translates to "a piece of one's heart", meaning the food is presented with love and care. The origin of dim sum (as I've learned from my elementary school teacher, so not sure how authentic the story is) came from the old China. At that time, there was a war going on, but the empress wanted to show her gratitude to the soldiers, so she asked the chef to create small pieces of food to treat them as these delicate concoctions were a special thanks from her heart. And ever since, Chinese people have been enjoying this delicacy and now dim sum has even spread throughout the world, enjoyed by people of different nationalities.

There are savory dim sum and sweet dim sum. When it comes to the sweet kinds, this steamed cake is my default of choice. Moist, eggy, spongy, and not to mention, quite adorable, it's unlike its counterpart of a fried exterior or a dense filling. It's quite light and delicate and a perfect dish to finish off a dim sum experience.