舌尖上的美食:十大必嘗的中式點心
I love taking people to eat dim sum for the first time.
我喜歡帶人初試中式點心。
Most people in the US, have no idea what dim sum actually is or the etiquette behind it. It's fun to watch their eyes glaze over at the million tapas-like choices laid out before them.
在美國，大多數人都不知道中式點心到底是什麼，也不知道其背後的風俗民情。看着他們對擺在面前的各種點心露出如癡如醉的表情，我覺得特別好玩。
Smiling and nodding as they look over the menu — as though anything you pick it fine by them — you can visibly watch as the overwhelmed feeling washes over them.
他們邊瀏覽菜單邊微笑點頭，喜悅之情溢於言表，好像你點的任何東西他們都會喜歡。
I get it.
我的目的達到了。
Dim sum in fact, can be quite overwhelming! Add in menus with limited English, rowdy Chinese families shouting all around, and people spitting bones out on the table, it's definitely not an experience most Westerners are accustomed to.
說實話，吃中式點心有時非常讓人無語！除了菜單上的英文很蹩腳外，就餐的人拖家帶口鬧哄哄地又喊又叫，還把骨頭吐在桌子上，這氛圍大多數西方人肯定都受不了。
But I love it.
但我喜歡。
Going to grab dim sum on a Sunday morning quickly became one of my favorite rituals in Hong Kong, and one I still try to fit in at least once a month here in Chicago. So to help spread that love I've decided to outline my favorite dim sum items, in hopes that you'll be more confident in ordering and will want to go give dim sum a try!
週日早晨去中式點心店飽餐一頓，這是我去香港沒多久就培養出來的嗜好之一。現在在芝加哥這邊，我也至少每月要抽時間去大快朵頤一次。所以呢，爲了跟別人分享這種熱愛，我決定簡單描述一下我最喜歡的幾類中式點心，希望能爲你前去點餐增加些底氣，同時也希望能喚起你品嚐的慾望！
Har gow
蝦餃
Known as the king of classic dim sum, this is a Chinese dumpling wrapped with shrimp inside. There are so many qualities that define this small dish that the skill of a dim sum chef can be determined by how well this dish is prepared.
蝦餃被稱爲傳統中式點心之王。這是一種以蝦爲主餡的中式餃子。這種小小的點心講究頗多，以至於一個點心師傅手藝精湛與否，可以以他做蝦餃的水平來衡量。
For example, the translucent skin of the Har Gow must be thin and clear enough where you can see the succulent pink shrimp inside but not too thin where it breaks when picked up by chopsticks.
比如，蝦餃的皮要半透明，須是又薄又透，能夠看到裏面粉紅色的蝦仁，但是又不可太薄，筷子夾起時必須不破皮才行。
If it is too wet, it'll most likely be too sticky and weak where it'll break, too dry and it'll not look or taste too appealing. With so much to talk about with just the wrapping, it's easy to see why there is so much emphasis on this dish in the world of dim sum.
如果太溼，則極有可能發粘，並且容易破皮，而太乾的話，外觀或口感上又會打折扣。單是蝦餃皮都有這麼多門道，也就難怪蝦餃在中式點心中如此舉足輕重了。
Siu mai
燒賣
If Har Gow is the king of dim sum, the queen is Siu Mai. These two dishes are pretty much default orders when having dim sum.
如果說蝦餃是中式點心之王，那麼燒賣就是王后。去吃中式點心，這兩樣是必點之選。
Wrapped in a thin yellow coat, dim sum Siu Mai is usually made with pork, sometimes shrimp is added to the mix. To garnish, many restaurants decide to use roe to add a little orange pizzazz. This dim sum dish is so popular that it has made a leap to street food as well. However, there are differences in taste and quality as street food Siu Mai is much smaller in size and is usually made of fish paste, much like imitation crab.
燒賣外披一層薄薄黃衣，餡料常用豬肉，有時也會摻些蝦仁進去。爲了更具賣相，許多飯店會在裏面加些魚子，爲的是增加點橙色色彩，讓點心看起來更漂亮。這種點心極受歡迎，所以已經演變成街頭小吃。然而，擺在街頭上的燒賣跟傳統燒賣在口感和品相上有所不同。街頭上賣的燒賣個頭小的多，且常常是魚肉做成，很像蟹棒。
Lo bak go
蘿蔔糕
Literally translated as radish cake, this item is made with rice flour and finely shredded radish, and come in squares. Depending on the restaurant and the quality of the cake, savory ingredients such as dried shrimp, ham, and shitake mushrooms are added to give it a mouthwatering taste.
“lo bak go”，意譯的話是蘿蔔糕。原料是米粉和細細的蘿蔔絲，成品爲方形。因飯店和口味不同，糕點中有時會加入一些美味配料，如蝦皮、火腿和香菇等，令人垂涎欲滴。
As the name suggests, this dish is very soft like a cake, but the outside is usually lightly fried so that you can pick it up with chopsticks and also gives it another layer in terms of texture. It is often served with chili oil or paste to enhance the flavor.
一如其名中的“糕”字，這種點心非常軟和，跟蛋糕一樣，但外部一般會稍加煎炸，這樣筷子才夾得起來，同時也使口感更多一個層次。這種糕點常配着辣椒油或辣椒麪吃，以提升風味。
Cheung fun
腸粉
These soft and white tightly wrapped rice noodle rolls get their name of “pig intestine noodles” from their close appearance to a pig's small intestines. But that's about as far as the namesake goes.
腸粉又白又軟，其實就是緊緊捲成卷兒的米粉皮，因外形與豬腸極其相像而得名。不過雖然名爲豬腸粉，但它跟豬腸可毫無關係。
These delightful rolls can be eaten plain or with a variety of filling like shrimp and cha siu (Chinese barbecue pork). Since these rice noodles do not have much flavor, you'll see it served often with soy sauce – depending on the restaurant, it could be a sweet or salty soy sauce. This is another dish that has made it into the street food scene where it's slathered with soy, hoisin, peanut, and hot sauces then topped off by sesame seeds.
腸粉看起來清爽可口，你可以直接吃，也可以配上各種餡料如蝦仁、叉燒（中式烤豬肉）吃。由於粉皮本身沒有什麼味道，所以人們常常配着醬汁吃腸粉——醬汁配料因飯店而異，有甜醬，也有鹹醬。這種小吃也早已發展成了街頭小吃，常常被淋上醬油、海鮮醬、花生碎以及辣椒醬，最後再撒上些芝麻。
Fung zhao
鳳爪
With a fierce name like “Phoenix Claws,” you know that this dish is not for the faint of heart.
While many people will not try chicken feet, this dish is usually heavily spiced with black pepper and is colored red – kind of like a phoenix. Don't knock it 'til you try it though!
名字很招人厭，“鳳凰爪子”，一看名字就知道這小吃心臟不好的人是消受不了的。許多人不肯吃雞腳，這種小吃常用大量黑胡椒提味，顏色呈紅色——有點像“鳳凰”爪吧。不過，不要急於否定它，嚐嚐先！
Cha siu bao
叉燒包
With bao (bread) being an integral part of dim sum, the phrase “drink a cup of tea, eat a bao” is a way to invite friends to have dim sum with you and catch up.
因爲“包（子）”是中式點心中的主角，所以人們常常說“喝杯茶、吃個包”，以此邀請朋友一起吃點東西小聚一下。
One of the most well-known bao dishes to eat while having dim sum is cha siu bao. This dish is made with Chinese barbequed pork (cha siu) and has a sweet-savory flavor to it. Traditionally, this is a steamed bao characterized by its fluffy white appearance, but recently the baked version has come up to be on par with the classic. New twists on this dish include putting a pastry top on the bao, creating a flakey texture to complement the soft bun.
中式點心中，最負盛名的一種包子就是叉燒包。這種包子用中式烤豬肉（叉燒）做成，香甜可口。傳統的叉燒包是清蒸的，鬆軟雪白。但近些年也有烤叉燒包，受歡迎程度與傳統包子不相上下。這新式叉燒包是將包子外部烤出一層脆皮，外焦裏嫩。
Lai wong bao
奶黃包
Another popular bao dish is lai wong bao. This is one of my go-to desserts whenever I take Westerners to dim sum, because they all seem to love it! Filled with custard, this sweet treat also has gone through some changes throughout the years. Some restaurants are now introducing a kind that is more liquid-y (and more… delicious-y?).
另一種頗受歡迎的“包”是奶黃包。這是我帶西方人去吃中式點心時的首選甜點，因爲他們似乎也都很喜歡吃！這種以奶油蛋羹爲裏餡的甜點在這些年間也經歷了一些變化。有些飯店現在推出了一種淌餡（也許更好吃？）的奶黃包。
This version is called lau sha bao for its similarity to flowing sands. Be careful though as it is very easy to burn yourself on the hot liquid filling as it gushes out!
這種新型奶黃包被稱爲流沙包，因爲很像流沙而得名。吃的時候可要小心，因爲一不小心就會被流出的熱乎乎的液體餡料燙傷。
Ngau yuk kow
牛肉球
This steamed meatball has a wide range of ingredients mixed in to give it a great flavor – minced meat, water chestnuts, and sometimes coriander or scallions. Steamed with a tofu skin, this tender meatball is usually served with a Worcestershire sauce to give it a slight vinegar taste.
這是清蒸型的肉球，裏面放有各種食材，所以口味絕佳：有肉末、荸薺，有時還有芫荽和香蔥，最後加點豆腐皮一起蒸熟。這種柔嫩的肉球常配着伍斯特沙司吃，後者給它增加了些許酸醋味道。
Nothing like your Italian meatballs!
跟你慣常吃的意大利肉球完全不同！
Lo mai gai
糯米雞
For a more filling dim sum item, try lo mai gai.
想來點更有飽腹感的點心？那就試試糯米雞。
This sticky rice item is steamed with a lotus leaf to give it an extraordinary fragrance and taste. The insides of this sticky rice contain a myriad of ingredients, often including some mixture of: chicken, pork, shitake mushrooms, Chinese wax sausage, dried shrimp, and egg.
這種黏黏的大米制品是被裹在荷葉裏蒸出來的，所以獨有一份清香和口感。黏黏的糯米里可以有各種餡料，常見的幾種是：雞肉、豬肉、香菇、中式臘腸、蝦皮和雞蛋。
Gwai fa go
桂花糕
This dish is not found in all dim sum restaurants, but if you see it, this is definitely a must try dim sum item at the end of your meal! With a sweet flavor and fragrance, osmanthus jelly is the best dessert and palette cleanser you can find. Aside from its refreshing taste, it's also said to have health benefits.
這種點心並不是所有點心店裏都有，但如果你看到有賣，在餐後一定要嘗一嘗！桂花糕口感清甜，是絕佳的甜點和口氣清新劑。除了口味清新之外，據說還於健康大有好處。
Healthy dessert? Count me in!
去吃桂花糕？我也去！
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