The Rotsaert Food Review: Southwest Dim Sum

For dinner last night we had a traditional Chinese Dim Sum style meal, substituting conventional spices with those available in northern New Mexico for a South Pacific-Southwest fusion. The combination of East meets West resulted in a sweet meal with just the right amount of spice that was both light yet filling.

We started with a small portion of Miso Soup. The taste was amazing, a combination of the traditional Japanese bitter, smoky, sweet, and salty flavors. The softened white miso paste was suspended perfectly in the dark stock – resulting in the illusion of moon lit clouds in the night sky.

Next up, to serve as the salad dish were Chinois Minced Garlic Chicken in Radicchio Cups. To prepare this dish fresh baby spinach leaves, shallots, and steamed carrot slices were left to marinate in a combination of extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a splash of dry white wine. The mixture was then set inside cups formed by crisp radicchio leaves and topped with a healthy portion of minced pan-fried garlic chicken. The almost florescent bright purple color of the radicchio leaves and bitter taste contrasted beautifully against the already remarkable filling.

To set the tone for the rest of the meal and steer the taste buds back towards the shores of the south pacific a small serving of sushi followed. A spicy tuna role, and a fresh squid and octopus medley fit the bill perfectly as it was neither over powering nor subdued.

Along with the main course (which consisted of two sorts of dumplings) came a side of cooked then lightly fried dark purple, almost black Forbidden Rice. This long grain rice, unlike most has a distinct fruity aroma and pronounced “nutty” flavor.

The first of the dumplings was a Steamed Spicy Black Bean Bun. The fluffy white almost snow ball looking steamed bun was filled with a mix of black beans, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots. The buns were unique in that rather than using a traditional red or yellow sweet bean paste, the buns were stuffed with Mexican-style refried black beans. The black beans were sweetened with white sugar, resulting in a taste that might be similar to the sweeter Chinese bean pastes but slightly different in texture. The bean mixture was further spiced by a combination of both red and green New Mexico chile powder – umm, spicy!

Rounding out the main course, the second type of dumpling was a Red Pepper Chicken and Portabella Pot Sticker. Different from the first, the dough used was a thin rice flower based sheet that was steamed and then pan-fried on one side. Unlike the typical flavorless pot stickers one can find in the frozen foods section of a grocery store these were filled with shredded chicken breast, red bell pepper, steamed portabella mushrooms and an exuberance of Southwest chile spices resulting in a neatly wrapped (crunchy on the bottom – soft on the top) dumpling that was quite flavorful.

Overall the meal was fantastic, each component matching perfectly with the other both in their aroma and taste. At the end one was left with a full yet not stuffed sensation giving reminder of the low ft quality food that was prepared. Thankfully no dessert was prepared, as the other courses had been so good that no one had left room. Instead the meal was completed with another strong Belgian beer and good laugh.