Cantonese dim sum: a beginner's vocabulary

If you walk into a Hong Kong yum cha house cold, the menu is overwhelming. There are easily 60 items on a typical dim sum order sheet. Here are the 20 you should learn first.

The four anchors

Har gow (蝦餃, xiā jiǎo) — translucent shrimp dumplings. The technical benchmark; if these are good, the kitchen is good.

Siu mai (燒賣, shāomài) — open-topped pork dumplings. Pair with har gow at almost every yum cha order.

Char siu bao (叉燒包, chāshāo bāo) — barbecue-pork buns. Steamed (white, fluffy) or baked (Tim Ho Wan style, golden glaze).

Cheung fun (腸粉, chángfěn) — rice-flour rolls with shrimp, beef or BBQ pork inside. Soft, silky, eaten with sweet soy.

The dumpling family

Wu gok (芋角) — taro fritter. Crispy outside, smooth taro inside.

Lo mai gai (糯米雞) — sticky rice with chicken in lotus leaf.

Phoenix talons (鳳爪) — chicken feet braised in black bean sauce. The classic 'unfamiliar' item; surprisingly delicious.

Beef balls with bean curd (山竹牛肉) — bouncy minced beef on tofu skin.

Tripe (金錢肚) — honeycomb tripe in chilli sauce. For the adventurous.

The savoury baked

Egg tarts (蛋撻, dàn tā) — Hong Kong-style with crisp pastry.

BBQ pork pastry (叉燒酥) — flaky puff pastry with char siu inside.

Salt-and-pepper squid (椒鹽魷魚) — deep-fried, dust of cumin and chilli.

The rice and noodle

Beef chow fun (乾炒牛河) — wide rice noodles stir-fried with beef.

Singapore noodles (星洲炒米) — curry-spiced thin rice noodles. Misnamed; not from Singapore.

Congee (粥) — rice porridge. Plain or with century egg, dried fish, shredded chicken.

The sweet end

Mango pomelo sago (楊枝甘露) — modern dessert soup.

Black sesame soup (芝麻糊) — warm, runny.

Custard buns (奶黃包) — steamed buns with salty-sweet egg-yolk custard. Lava-cake-style when fresh.

Tea

Choose your tea on arrival: - **Bo lei** (普洱) — pu'er. The classic; pairs with anything. - **Heung pin** (香片) — jasmine. Lighter. - **Sau mei** (壽眉) — white tea. Gentle. - **Lung jeng** (龍井) — Longjing green. Subtle.

Order pattern

Two people, comfortable lunch: - 1 har gow, 1 siu mai (the obligatory pair). - 1 cheung fun (any filling). - 1 char siu bao (your choice of style). - 1 vegetable dish (Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce, or steamed greens). - 1 sweet (egg tarts, custard buns or sago).

Total ¥150–¥300 for two depending on the venue. Tea fee (HK$5–HK$15 per person) on the bill is normal.