Emma Lee ('27)
Mr. Chech posing with dim sums.
Welcome and welcome back, my wonderful new and returning readers of “At the Teacher’s Table!” I wanted to start the year off with a bang, so I asked my amazing math teacher, Mr. Mike Chechelnitsky, if he would like to be featured in this month’s issue of “At the Teacher’s Table.” He was eager to participate!
When I inquired about his favorite food, Mr. Chech gave me the option between chicken noodle soup and dim sum. Immediately, I knew I wanted to make dim sum! Enjoying dim sum is one of my most cherished memories with my family. I remember with great fondness sitting around big, round tables and chatting excitedly with my mom and grandma. We peered eagerly at carts loaded with steaming bamboo baskets filled with the most delectable dim sum. I would always forget my social anxiety when calling over servers whose items caught my eye.
I decided to enlist the help of my lovely mom to make the dim sum. We chose to make two types of the dish, one savory and one sweet: shao mai and dan ta (egg tarts).
For the shao mai, more commonly known by its Cantonese pronunciation siu mai, we first let the sticky rice soak in water for two hours and steamed it afterwards. Separately, we also soaked the dried shiitake mushrooms in hot water. Once the rice was perfectly cooked, we concocted the most delicious soy sauce mixture to flavor it. We then diced green onions, dried shrimp, bamboo shoots, and the soaked mushrooms into cubes and sauteed the flavorful add-ins and rice all together in a pan. Once the rice cooled down, the best part could finally begin: assembly! The shao mai’s signature shape is formed by pinching the wrapper around the filling between the curve of the index finger and thumb. My mom and I had a ton of fun perfecting each fold together.
Meanwhile, we started making the dan ta. I vigorously whisked together the mixture, which consisted of eggs, water, milk, and sugar. We carefully poured the egg mixture through a strainer into each tart shell. The egg tarts then entered the oven, and while they baked, a delicious smell wafted around the kitchen. Once the egg tarts were ready, the filling had become a perfect custard yellow color and the crust was golden brown.
The dishes were finally complete and ready for tasting!
I popped by Mr. Chech’s classroom during lunch, and both of us were looking forward to trying the food.
He immediately dug into the shao mai, which he said were “delicious.” While enjoying the shao mai, Mr. Chech told me the story of how he was first introduced to the world of dim sum in college. Every night, during his late night poker games with his college buddies, a dim sum cart rolled around the tables to order from. On a whim, he decided to try a bite one night. In no time, dim sum became one of his nightly staples.
Dim sum also has a deeper layer of nostalgia to him. They remind him of making pelmeni, Russian dumplings, with his grandmother. I was glad that I could bring a taste of his childhood with my dim sum.
Then, Mr. Chech tried a bite of the egg tart, which he said “tastes amazing,” something I was really happy about! Egg tarts are one of my all-time favorite dim sum, and I was happy I could do them justice.
A suggestion he had for me was to bring dipping sauces, such as chili oil or vinegar. I completely agree with this, as both he and I enjoy mixing sauces together to make yummy concoctions.
Egg tarts and shao mai are just a tiny taste of the world of dim sum. I hope this will inspire you to pop by our local dim sum restaurant to try out even more varieties!