The SK Dim Sum Challenge

Ladies and gentleman, introducing The SK Dim Sum Challenge.

After Chef Oliver took the honours in British Sandwich Week, our very competitive chefs were keen to battle it out again, so we threw down the gauntlet (or should that be wok?) and decided to see who could come up with the best dim sum dish.

Why dim sum you ask?

Well, as you will know by now, anything Asian influenced is a winner here at SK and after blogging about countless food awareness days, we’re hoping this will catch on and next year we can launch our very own National Dim Sum Appreciation Week.

After all, when you have the likes of World Salami Day, National Tofu Day and Cornish Pasty Week, we couldn’t do any worse could we?

So, before we make your mouth water, let’s first have a short lesson.

Dim sum is literally translated to mean “touch the heart” and the associated Cantonese phrase yum cha means “to drink tea.” Taken together, dim sum is a meal of small dishes served with tea comprised of a collection of savoury and sweet tastes from a variety of steamed and fried buns, dumplings and rolls.

Though the best kitchens are still found in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, dim sum is now served around the world and the cuisine remains one of southern China’s most famous culinary exports.

So, thank you China, and let The SK Dim Sum Challenge begin….

Chef Sean

Sean made a rich hoisin pork belly bao with pickled vegetables to begin. He also made chicken and shiitake mushroom rice balls coated in toasted sesame seeds followed by Taiwanese lollipops with coconut and sweet chilli.

Chef Oliver

Oliver chose to make deep fried chicken gyoza with shiitake mushroom and spring onion complemented with a toasted sesame sweet chilli sauce. He also made some rather cute sweet Chinese panda dumplings with a rich chocolate dipping sauce.

Chef Chris

Not to be out done on the dessert score, Chris made two sweet dim sum and two savoury. Taking one of our most known products; the spring roll. He filled it with banana and coconut and some bite-sized custard filled bao buns. Chris also made tempura prawns with crispy chilli and garlic and chicken and prawn teriyaki lollipops.

Chef John

John created quite the dim sum feast. He began with a slow braised short rib of beef which was great on its own, but he also used it as a filling for his cheung fun (or steamed rice noodle rolls). Then there was steamed bao bun ‘roulade’ with Peking duck and Peking sauce, steamed prawn gyoza and prawn, chicken and bacon gyoza served in a mushroom broth.

Chef Jane

Jane created a tasty trio. Crispy crab, prawn and lemon dumplings with sweet chilli dipping sauce. Pork and pak choi pot stickers with soy, sesame and honey dip. And finally, some pretty pork and prawn sumai.

Let us know your favourite by voting in our online poll.

About Neil Shaefer

Marketing & Communications Executive of SK Foods.

Your food. Our Passion.

View all posts by Neil Shaefer | https://www.skfoods.co.uk