Saturday Dim Sum with my Family

(Some dim sum to "touch your heart" -- here we have from the buns on the left, clockwise -- baked roast pork buns, steamed roast pork buns, egg custard tarts, pan fried chicken buns, pork spare ribs with black bean sauce, steamed rice crepe with shrimp inside, pan seared waterchestnut cake (maa tai gou), and in the center, shu mai)

For as long as I can remember, we would make a morning weekend trip to our favorite dim sum restaurant of the moment. Now that life is a bit busier, the weekend trips have evolved into monthly, sometimes every-other-month trips, but still a fun and delicious experience each time!

Our favorite of the moment is New Fortune Restaurant in Gaithersburg, Maryland. We've been going to this one for some time, and I do admit that if you've never been for dim sum before, this restaurant can be a bit intimidating. But you should still go!! The restaurant is quite large (I would estimate about 50 tables? Don't quote me on that, my estimation of numbers isn't great) and offers push cart dim sum seven days a week. The best is to go on the weekends when there are loads of carts and loads of people so the dim sum is always hot and fresh.

When you sit down, tea is a must (we usually get jasmine ... and ok, I usually get a glass of ice water too) and comes steaming hot to your table. Literally on the heels of the tea are the carts... and let the food rush begin! Think of it as a smorgasbord of Chinese tapas (I'm mixing up a couple too many food cultures here...), but really, that's what it is like. You can see what the dishes are, point or ask for certain dishes, inquire about what is in them. But unless you're with a big group, I would say only take one plate of the dishes of your choice - with nearly 90 different options, you don't want to indulge too much in the beginning (I'm often guilty of this though, with my "eyes being bigger than my stomach).

There's something for everyone. Deep fried, steamed, pan fried... chicken, pork, beef, shrimp (lots of shrimp), vegetables... buns, dumplings, noodles, skewers... and yes, dessert too. Often the steamed dishes come out first (some in the first picture) and these are very tasty options.

Below are some highlights of the day:

"Deep fried taro dumpling" -- the outer shell is made from taro and inside is ground pork and vegetables.


For lack of a better description, like a spring roll but warmed in a black bean sauce and not as crunchy. Filled with pork and veggies.


Bean curd stuffed with shrimp (warmed in black bean sauce)

I didn't get the chance to take many other pictures, but perhaps next time I'll take some of the desserts and show them here!