A closer look at Chef Gopi Thokra’s latest dim sum creations

There was a moment, right in the middle of our lunch, where our plate stopped being just a plate. We had picked up a Spicy hibiscus dumpling, deep pink from hibiscus and beetroot, and left a faint purple-pink streak on our porcelain. By the time the chilli oil had pooled alongside it, the pink and the bright orange had made a small accidental abstract painting that nobody had planned and nobody was going to frame of course, but there it was. It is true that we are surrounded by beautiful things. We just have to stop rushing long enough to notice them. And there were more such little pauses at Chef Gopi Thokra’s latest Gourmet Dim Sum festival, each dumpling giving us another reason to stop and look a little closer.

A mindful meal of dim sum, tea and little surprises

The dim sum festival is Chef Gopi’s tribute to Chennai, the tradition of yum cha, and the belief that food enjoyed mindfully simply tastes better.

Yum cha, the Chinese tradition of pairing tea with dim sum, originated during the Tang and Song dynasties along the Silk Road, where roadside teahouses served small dishes to weary travellers. Over time, it evolved into Canton’s iconic teahouse culture. True to its Cantonese name, dim sum translates literally “to touch the heart.”

We started our take on the tradition with the Silken Dynasty, a brew made of milk oolong and silver needle tea with honey, a breath of vinegar and sparkling water. Out of the many we tried, here are a few of our favourites. The Vegetable dim sum is the most visually extraordinary of the lot. The wrapper is translucent enough to see everything happening inside: shiitake, king oyster, and mushrooms visible through the skin with small bubbles caught between the filling and the wrap, something out of an animated film made suddenly and improbably real. It is also the crunchiest of the lot. The Asparagus and celery dim sum is the most experiential: water chestnut, lotus root, carrots, pomegranate pearls on top, and on the first bite a burst of sweet pomegranate juice coats the mouth before the vegetables arrive, the flavour ending quietly on vegetable stock.

The Har gow with lump fish caviar is the another favourite of the table. The natural sweetness of the prawn sits in slight tension with the fishy saltiness and tackiness of the caviar. The Singapore chilli prawn and crab is the chef’s signature and the personal favourite of the entire meal. It is sweet and the chilli brings just enough warmth to sit behind the sweetness without competing with it. We would go back for this one piece alone and feel the visit was completely justified.

The Tender coconut pudding closes everything. It arrives all white and serene, gelatinous coconut, whipped cream dotted with almond slivers, coconut smiles on top, looking like something that would be offered as a welcome snack in a very peaceful, very Christian vision of heaven, if it exists. It is the right ending, asking nothing of you except to finish it slowly.

Meal for two: Rs 3,500++. On till September 12. From 12 am to 3 pm & 7 pm to 11 pm. At China XO, The Leela Palace, MRC Nagar.