Dim Sum Trang Style

1. 1

   Prepare the Filling Base

   Pound the coriander roots until fine. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground pork, diced pork fat, and pounded coriander roots. Add the minced garlic and mix well.

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   Tips:

   • • Pounding coriander roots releases essential oils for better flavor
   • • Ensure pork fat is evenly distributed throughout
2. 2

   Season the Filling

   Add white pepper (be generous as this is characteristic of Trang style), sesame oil, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and egg to the pork mixture. Mix thoroughly until sticky and well combined.

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   Tips:

   • • Mix in one direction for better texture
   • • The filling should be slightly sticky and hold together
3. 3

   Add Vegetables and Chill

   Fold in the diced shiitake mushrooms and sliced green onions. Mix gently to distribute evenly. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours to allow flavors to meld and make wrapping easier.

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   Tips:

   • • Chilling firms up the fat and makes the filling easier to handle
   • • Can be prepared the night before
4. 4

   Wrap the Dim Sum

   Place a wrapper in your palm. Add about 1 tablespoon of filling in the center. Gather the edges of the wrapper up around the filling, pleating as you go, leaving the top exposed. Gently squeeze the middle to create the classic gathered look. Flatten the bottom so it can stand upright. If using, place a small piece of salted egg yolk on top.

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   Tips:

   • • Keep wrappers covered with a damp cloth to prevent drying
   • • The filling should be visible at the top
   • • Don't overfill or they'll be difficult to pleat
5. 5

   Steam the Dim Sum

   Line bamboo steamers with parchment paper or cabbage leaves to prevent sticking. Arrange dim sum pieces with space between them. Bring water to a rolling boil in a wok or steamer pot. Place steamers over the boiling water and steam on high heat for 10-12 minutes until the filling is cooked through and the wrappers are translucent.

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   Tips:

   • • Ensure water is boiling before adding steamers
   • • Don't overcrowd - they need space for steam circulation
   • • Stack multiple steamers for efficiency
6. 6

   Prepare Kam Chueang Sauce

   While dim sum steams, prepare the sauce. Blend or pound together the boiled sweet potato and soft-cooked peanuts until smooth. Transfer to a small pot and simmer gently. Add vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir well and adjust consistency with water to achieve a thick but pourable sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Taste and adjust sweet-sour-salty balance to preference.

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   Tips:

   • • The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon
   • • Each restaurant has its own ratio - adjust to taste
   • • Sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated
7. 7

   Serve Hot

   Remove steamers from heat. Serve dim sum immediately in the bamboo steamers (traditional style) or transfer to serving plates. Serve with kam chueang sauce on the side for dipping.

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   Tips:

   • • Best enjoyed piping hot
   • • Traditional Trang breakfast includes hot jasmine tea or Thai coffee
   • • Often served alongside moo yang (roast pork)

• •The key to Trang-style dim sum is the generous use of white pepper - don't be shy with it
• •Traditional Trang dim sum restaurants steam in metre-high stacks of bamboo steamers
• •Kam chueang sauce is unique to Trang and cannot be substituted with standard sweet chili or soy-based sauces
• •The filling should be juicy but not wet - the pork fat melts during steaming to create moisture
• •In Trang, dim sum is primarily a breakfast food, enjoyed early in the morning
• •Freshness is paramount - Trang restaurants make dim sum fresh daily and sell out by mid-morning
• •If you can't make kam chueang, it's now available bottled online from Trang vendors

• •
  Moo Yang Trang (Trang-style roast pork) - traditional accompaniment
• •
  Hot jasmine tea - cuts through the richness
• •
  Strong Thai coffee (oliang) - traditional Trang breakfast drink
• •
  Pa-thong-ko (Chinese crullers) - for a complete dim sum breakfast
• •
  Steamed buns (salapao) - often served alongside in Trang restaurants

Dim sum arrived in Trang with waves of Cantonese immigrants in the early 1900s who played a pivotal role in establishing the city's food culture. Unlike other parts of Thailand where Chinese influence resulted in adapted street food, Trang's Chinese community developed a distinctive breakfast culture centered around dim sum that became deeply embedded in local identity. What makes Trang's dim sum unique is not just the dumplings themselves, but the entire breakfast ritual - the early morning timing, the specialized restaurants with their towering bamboo steamers, and especially the kam chueang dipping sauce, which emerged as a Trang innovation. This coral-red sauce, made from sweet potato and peanuts rather than the chili-based sauces used elsewhere, represents the fusion of Cantonese techniques with Southern Thai ingredients. Today, Trang is so famous for its dim sum breakfast culture that it has become a culinary pilgrimage destination, with restaurants like Ruen Thai and Khiao Ocha serving multiple generations. The tradition of fresh, early-morning dim sum with kam chueang remains such an integral part of Trang's identity that National Geographic has highlighted the city's breakfast obsession as a unique cultural phenomenon.

Authentic Trang-style dim sum is distinguished by several key characteristics: First, the filling is notably peppery - white pepper should be abundant and assertive. Second, the dumplings must be served with kam chueang (also called som chueang or kom chueang), the distinctive sweet-sour-salty sauce made from sweet potato and peanuts that exists only in Trang. Using regular sweet chili sauce or soy-based dips is not authentic. Third, timing matters - in Trang, dim sum is quintessentially breakfast food, with restaurants opening at dawn and often selling out by late morning. Fourth, freshness is non-negotiable - authentic Trang restaurants make their dim sum fresh daily using the traditional steaming method with bamboo baskets stacked over boiling water. The dumplings should have soft, slightly sweet translucent wrappers and juicy, peppery filling. Fifth, dim sum is typically served alongside moo yang (roast pork), another Trang specialty, as part of a complete breakfast. The communal atmosphere, with diners sitting among towering stacks of steamers, is also part of the authentic experience. While home cooks may not replicate the scale of Trang's famous restaurants, maintaining the generous pepper seasoning, fresh steaming, and especially making or sourcing authentic kam chueang sauce are essential for capturing the true Trang dim sum experience.