M&S Marks and Spencers 18 piece dim sum selection

Spotted the New dim sum selection at Marks and Spencers.

The contents in the selection are: 4 edamame and asparagus dumplings, 4 oriental vegetable trio dumplings, 4 hoisin mushroom pyramid dumplings, 3 prawn and mushroom siu mai, 3 steamed prawn dim sum, soy dipping sauce and black rice vinegar dip.

I used to like Dim Sum being brought up in the UK and even supermarkets in the UK can whip up quality dimsum to their specifications with consultation from dimsum chefs.

Hong Kong being the place for Chinese food put me off dimsum because they looked bad, smelled bad, tasted awful so you often have to go to expensive hotel quality places for "Normal" dim sum.

It is such a shame really because dim sum originates from Hong Kong yet the quality is lousy, I mean in UK if you go to the average restaurant, the roast and fish and chips won't disappoint.

Dragon I in Hong Kong, is a place I would recommend for dim sum because they use fresh ingredients, they look edible and don't break when you pick them up.
This place is popular with expats which proves its quality but sadly it never gets into Michelin every year.

Finally treated myself to the dim sum selection, mainly because I wanted to see they fared.

Instructions are simple, you either microwave them or steam them.

So for convenience I put them in the microwave.

There are two trays, tray 1 and tray 2 require different times in the microwave.

When the dim sums were ready, they looked fab like the way they come out the box except when cooked the dumpling wrap is slightly translucent which is how it should be.

Overall, the dim sum skin was a bit stickier than expected and elastic. 

In general, all of the were nice but the black pepper and coriander can be a bit too overwhelming because it makes it hard to taste whats in it.

Since each of the dim sums are different, I am going to review them separately.

After buying this twice, the order you eat them affects taste because some are two peppery.

Edamame and asparagus dumplings:

The green dumpling was one of my favourites because the pairing of the edamamea and asparagus was delicious.

However, I found the black pepper too overpowering.

Oriental vegetable trio dumplings:

The trio dumplings were loaded with so much vegetables like sweetcorns and spring onions that it was impressive that the dumplings held together well without breaking.

To round up, the peppery taste was really strong as well as the coriander.

hoisin mushroom pyramid dumplings:

These were really interesting because of the hoi sin flavour with the mushrooms.

Prawn and mushroom siu mai:

I really loved the crunch in these dim sums, there was so much juicy water chestnuts in them as well as the black fungas.

Steamed prawn dim sum:

The prawn dim sum is a classic, again loaded with so much crunchy water chestnuts.

Again the black pepper and coriander was a bit too strong.

Marks and Spencers in simplified Chinese