What is Chinese food called diem some?

Answer 1

The phrase you're looking for is dim sum. It's not a food, it's a style of restaurant service. The word is of Cantonese origin (the Mandarin equivalent is dian xin.) It refers to small, appetizer-sized portions of food served with a choice of several kinds of tea to make up a meal, usually shared among several people, in which everyone gets to enjoy a variety of different foods.

Popular dim sum items include all the various different Chinese dumplings, or jiaozi, which consist of dough wrapped around various fillings and then steamed, boiled, or pan-fried (which makes them crispy.) Ground pork is commonly used, or a combination of minced shrimp with pork or pork fat, often with shiitake mushrooms, Chinese chives, Chinese cabbage, and other vegetables added for flavor. Other fillings are of course often found. Another very common dumpling is the soup dumpling, xiaolongbao, filled with a pork soup that squirts into your mouth when you bite into them. There are numerous other types of dumplings that are common in dim sum.

Dim sum restaurants also serve small steamed or baked buns, sometimes with various delicious fillings. Char siu bao is a common one -- they're filled with char siu, a roast pork dish of Cantonese origin.

Other typical items include small fried squid, chicken feet, Chinese meatballs, spare ribs, spring rolls, turnip cake, and various sweet items.