Cantonese dim sum enjoys spotlight in famous food documentary

A Bite of China, a Chinese documentary television series on the history of food, eating, and cooking in China, has gained high ratings and widespread popularity since it first aired in May 2012. The third season of the documentary, broadcast on Feb 24, enjoyed similar acclaim, and featured an entire episode devoted to Guangzhou's signature dim sum (cakes and pastries).

The sixth episode, titled su, meaning pastries, features a wide range of dim sum in Guangzhou, including what are known in the field as the Four Heavenly Kings - cha siu bao (a Cantonese barbecue-pork-filled bun ), egg tart, shaomai and ha gow (Cantonese dumplings with shrimp filling). The carefully crafted delicacies are an important aspect of life for many Guangzhou locals.

The four Heavenly Kings in the Cantonese dim sums field -cha siu bao, egg tart, shaomai and ha gow. [Photo/news.dayoo.com] 

The episode also features a well-known pastry chef named Chen Xun, a man in his nineties who has dedicated nearly 80 years to making Cantonese-style dim sum.

Chen began learning how to make Cantonese dim sum from a master in Guangzhou in 1939 and has served as a pastry chef in many renowned restaurants such as Tai Sam Yuen Restaurant and Beiyuan Restaurant. Starting at a young age, Chen learned how to make cha siu bao, which helped him establish a reputation as a skilled chef. His superbly crafted dim sum was able to sell a whopping 1000 per day due to their quality ingredients, appealing aesthetic, and irresistible flavor.  

In the episode, Chen and his apprentices show how to make cha siu bao using traditional methods. Chen not only preserves the art of traditional Cantonese dim sum, but also explores new methods, bringing Cantonese pastry culture to ever greater heights.

Chen and his apprentices make cha siu bao using ancient methods. [Photo/news.dayoo.com]

When asked about how he felt about his 80 years as a dim sum chef, Chen said that he would love to see the integration of both Chinese and Western pastry culture, as well as both ancient and modern dim sum-making methods, and expressed hopes of making Cantonese dim sum more popular throughout the world. 

Chen Xun, a well-known dim sum chef, hard at work at Beiyuan Restaurant, Guangzhou. [Photo/news.dayoo.com]