Tag Archives: Chinese

Gao choy got – Ton Kiang

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Gao choy got Ton Kiang

Steamed then pan fried green chives and shrimp dumplings.
Ton Kiang, San Francisco

I’ve mentioned before that these dumplings are one of my favorite kinds of dim sum.  I love the strong, sharp taste of the garlic chives and the crisp texture of the fried ends.  These dumplings at Ton Kiang, however, were SO tiny!  They were the size of those frozen dim sum dumplings you get at Asian markets that always seem to be on sale.  Naturally, these 4 dumplings went down quickly and barely made a dent in our dim sum hunger.  I also remember the filling being somewhat dense and dry.  This maybe one of my favorite dumplings, but this version was a disappointment.

Dipping sauces Ton Kiang

Dipping sauces.  The yellow sauce was hot mustard, but I’m not sure what was the green sauce.

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012

Ha gao – Ton Kiang

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Ha gao Ton Kiang

Steamed shrimp dumplings wrapped in a translucent wheat and tapioca starch wrapper.
Ton Kiang, San Francisco

Har gow is one of my favorite dim sum items because it’s delicious and the least scary looking thing on the roving carts (or trays in the case of Ton Kiang). I didn’t like a lot of the dim sum at Ton Kiang, but I did like these. They were filled with HUGE chunks of shrimp and had a great flavor! The wrapper was on the thick side, but it wasn’t tough or dry.  Still a favorite! (Thank god Ton Kiang didn’t ruin this one for me.)

Green tea Ton Kiang

Complimentary green tea.

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012

"3 cups" chicken clay pot – Shanghai Dumpling King

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3 cups chicken clay pot Shanghai Dumpling King

Chicken thigh pieces with sliced onions, mushrooms, green onions, ginger, garlic, and star anise. $6.95
Shanghai Dumpling King, San Francisco

I was surprised at how much this clay pot tasted like Filipino chicken adobo, just less vinegary and with more ingredients. I think the addition of mushrooms and star anise made it more earthy, resulting in a more Chinese flavor. This dish was super hearty and very delicious! I personally love clay pots because they tend to be saucy and pair perfectly with steamed rice to soak up all the yummy juices. This is definitely going on my “Re-order” list!

Xiao long bao – Shanghai Dumpling King

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Xiao long bao Shanghai Dumpling King

Steamed soup dumplings with a pork filling atop a napa cabbage leaf. $5.50
Shanghai Dumpling King, San Francisco

These dumplings were SO delicious!  I only ripped one or two while trying to eat them with chopsticks so I was particularly proud of myself.  When I first had these, I wondered how they got the soup inside the dumplings.  Apparently, the dumplings are made with a pork filling and a gelatin aspic.  The aspic melts into a “soup” when the dumplings are steamed – genius!  These are very fun to eat and Shanghai Dumpling King’s are some of the best in San Francisco.

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012

Xiao long bao - Shanghai Dumpling King
November 17, 2013. So I guess they’re not using the napa cabbage on the bottom anymore. That’s a shame.

Pan fried pork buns – Shanghai Dumpling King

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Pan fried pork buns Shanghai Dumpling King

Oil steamed and fried buns with a pork filling and garnished with sesame seeds and scallions.  $5.25
Shanghai Dumpling King, San Francisco

I consider my co-worker, Alan, to be a Chinese food expert since he’s a native San Franciscan/Chinese American and I’ve learned quite a few things from him. I sometimes wish he doesn’t tell me certain things, like how these pork buns are cooked, lol! This was the first time I’ve tried these pan fried pork buns and I naively assumed they were first steamed, then fried since they are brown on the bottom. The dough has a different consistency than other buns so I also assumed that they used a special dough batter. I was wrong! It’s the same dough batter is used as in other pork buns, then the buns are steamed and fried simultaneously in a pool of oil! The hot oil sears the bottoms while the steam cooks the rest of the buns to a soft, squishy consistency. No wonder they’re so flavorful! Even knowing how they’re made now, I will order these again in a heartbeat since they are addictingly delicious!

Napa cabbage – Shanghai Dumpling King

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Napa cabbage Shanghai Dumpling King
Chinese pickled napa cabbage with jalapeno slices.
Shanghai Dumpling King, San Francisco

This dish was listed as “Spicy Bok Choy” on the menu!  When we ordered it, the waiter informed us that it was a cold dish, which we happily agreed to.  I was surprised when the dish arrived and it was napa cabbage instead, especially since napa cabbage was no where on their menu.  It was delicious though!  Looking back, I’m glad we got the pickled napa cabbage.  It was fresh, crisp and refreshing with a little bit of spice.  Napa cabbage as a more delicate flavor than bok choy, and it was just what we needed.  I’m not sure I would order it otherwise, so it was a fortuitous substitution!

Green tea Shanghai Dumpling King
The only times I drink tea are when I’m sick or at a Chinese restaurant and it’s complimentary. Haha! I must say that sipping tea throughout somehow elevates the meal and overall experience. Yay for free tea!

Jiu cai bao – Clement Restaurant

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Jiu cai bao Clement Restaurant
These Chinese chive dumplings are first steamed, then pan-fried. They are usually filled with a mixture of chives, shrimp, water chestnut, and often pork.  The wrapper is made from wheat starch.
Clement Restaurant, San Francisco

I love the nice, crispy texture created from pan-frying these delicious dumplings.  Depending on the ratio of chives in the filling, these can sometimes have an intense taste.  The chive flavor in Clement Restuarant’s jiu cai bao was on the mellow side.  Simply delicious!

Egg custard tarts – Clement Restaurant

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Egg custard tarts Clement Restaurant
Baked in puff pastry, these “dan tat” are filled with a light egg custard.  Unlike Western custard tarts, milk isn’t normally added to the custard.
Clement Restaurant, San Francisco

Everyone in San Francisco always boasts about the egg tarts at Golden Gate Bakery in Chinatown.  Sadly, I have yet to taste one, but I’m confident I will do so soon!  Clement Restaurant’s egg tarts were light and the custard was silky.  Pretty good if you ask me.  If the tarts at Golden Gate Bakery are THAT much better, then I’m in for a treat!

Chiu chao fun guo – Clement Restaurant

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Chiu chao fun guo Clement Restaurant
Steamed dumplings filled with ground pork, shrimp, chopped peanuts, and garlic chives.  The wrapper is made of de-glutenized wheat flour, tapioca flour, and a corn or potato starch.
Clement Restaurant, San Francisco

I wasn’t a fan of these dumplings.  They were quite large and the wrapper was too thick, glutinous, and easily torn.  It’s always sad when you lose the dumpling filling because of a weak wrapper.  This dim sum was weak, indeed!

Shark fin dumplings – Clement Restaurant

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Shark fin dumplings Clement Restaurant
Lye water dough (shiu mai wrapper) filled with a mixture of chopped shrimp, pork fillet, shark fin, spring onion and Chinese parsley. The dumplings are then steamed.
Clement Restaurant, San Francisco

So California Assembly Bill 376 would ban the possession, sale, and trade of shark fins in the state of California.  It’s suppose to be heard before the Senate Committee on Appropriations on Monday, August 15th in Sacramento.  We’ll see what happens!  I have to admit that I’ve never wondered if I’m eating real shark fin in dim sum.  For some reason, I always assumed it was imitation shark fin.  I know that’s ignorant of me, so I’m curious to see what happens with AB 376.  I definitely don’t agree with the practice of shark finning, but would this bill also ban shark fins that were harvested without finning?  My assumption would be YES, but I’ll have to read more about the debate. 

Regardless, I don’t know if I can even distinguish the shark fin flavor or texture in these dumplings from any other similar dumplings.  In that regard, I probably wouldn’t be affected by the shark fin ban but opponents of the bill cite cultural reasons.  Sounds fishy to me (pardon the pun)!

Pork shiu mai – Clement Restaurant

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Pork shiu mai Clement Restaurant
Steamed dumplings with seasoned ground pork, chopped shrimp and Chinese black mushroom wrapped with a thin sheet of lye water dough.
Clement Restaurant, San Francisco

These suckers were large compared to other shumai I’ve had! I’m not sure why I always order siu mai though. They don’t have much flavor compared to other dim sum and the filling tends to be really fatty.  But they do soak up soy and chili XO sauce really well and I enjoy the combination of the filling and dough textures. Since dim sum tends to be really cheap on Clement Street in San Francisco I think I’ll keep ordering them, lol!

Cha siu bao – Clement Restaurant

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Steamed bbq pork bun Clement Restaurant
Bbq pork bun. Cantonese steamed bun filled with slow roasted pork tenderloin in a salty sweet, bbq sauce mixture.
Clement Restaurant, San Francisco

I love dim sum, and I love bbq pork buns whether steamed or baked!  I didn’t know they use different doughs depending on whether they are steamed or fried, but it makes sense.  The filling is always SO good! The bbq bun from Clement Restaurant had the thickest bun I’ve ever tried, and I admit that I wasn’t a fan.  For me, the bun is there to hold the delicious filling together and there was just too much of it here.

* Also spelled “char siu bao” among others.