Evelyn Chau is a Hong Kong-born writer, interpreter and food lover who lives in Toronto, Canada. She is the author of Have Some Dim Sum, an illustrated recipe and guide book on how to have great fun with dim sum and stay slim.
Chinese culture is deeply connected with the kind of food served on the dinner table. What are your earliest memories of eating good Chinese food?
In Hong Kong, our family had dim sum for brunch every Sunday. It’s like the roast beef dinner in the West, except ours is a long, leisurely brunch where we catch up on family happenings. Ha Gow was my favorite as a child and early on, I became quite a good judge of dim sum quality, aka picky eater!
When my grandparents had birthdays, we’d have 10-course banquets to celebrate. I loved those because the food was visually exciting as well as delicious. Whole fish, suckling pigs, scallops and those sweet longevity buns!
And then you moved to Canada… Have you relived this ever since?
I have relived this many times, with a different cast. Friends and I would go out to explore Chinese food in different areas of Toronto. We’ve had superb dim sum as well as northern Chinese food.
Your book Have Some Dim Sum was born because of your passion for dim sum. Are all the recipes you present well-known? What makes the book special?
I wanted this book to be an introduction for people who wish to explore the world of dim sum. That’s why it includes the history from 800 A.D., detailed descriptions of well-loved items, lavish photos and illustrations as well as how-to diagrams.
Dim sum is a way of eating – sharing small dishes among family and friends – so that each meal presents different tastes and textures. We go for dim sum with this spirit of exploration because each meal is never the same.
So, what’s the best dim sum you’ve ever tasted and cooked?
There were so many peak-eating moments! Some were in Toronto, some in Vancouver and Hong Kong. The best dim sum I made was a freshly fried batch of shrimp rolls at a friend’s place. I made a Spanish pimenton aioli to go with them and there were a lot of happy noises around the table.
What would you recommend to people who’ve never tried Chinese food? Where should they start?
Ask friends for referrals and tell them what you like. For example, if you like the idea of wraps, you may want to have Peking duck or stir fries wrapped in lettuce leaves. If you like spicy food, Szechuan would rank higher than Cantonese. Of course you can make my book your companion and guide to the world of dim sum.
Evelyn receiving an award from Chef Bill Wong
Tell us about your dim sum workshop and other events you organize.
At my workshop, I show the essential techniques you can use to make dim sum while having friends over. We practice making dumplings and rolls with a variety of ingredients. Dim sum is all themes and variations. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can roll out the variations.
The book is beautifully illustrated with photographs by Vince Noguchi. Tell us about your collaboration with him.
Working with Vince Noguchi was a pleasant, enriching and fun experience. He loves what he does and surrounds himself with highly skilled professionals such as a food stylist and prop stylist. That’s how he gets outstanding results. I have wonderful memories of that week.
Watch Evelyn make an 8 veggie spring roll dim sum:
Watch more videos on her YouTube channel.
