Dim sum in Hong Kong: Where the steam baskets are a labor of love
Dim sum in Hong Kong is served in round bamboo steam baskets, many of which are bought from the Lam family who run Tuck Chong Sum Kee Bamboo Steamer Company in Sai Wan. Today, the family-run business mostly redistributes bamboo steamers made in mainland China where labor is considerably cheaper. Bamboo basket making is labor-intensive as several procedures in its production can only be done by hand, but there are still three family members who hand make steamers to order in their Hong Kong headquarters. |
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| Tuck Chong Sum Kee not only sells steamers but also other household goods made of bamboo, which is one of the world’s fastest growing plants, able to grow up to a meter a day. | |
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| Shop manager Raymond Lam demonstrates the traditional method for making a bamboo steamer: holes are drilled into the steamer suing a bamboo rod rolled by a bamboo "bow" similar to a violin bow. | |
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| "Nails" are also made of bamboo and cut by hand. | |
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| Bamboo nails are hammered into the steamer. It takes a skilled crafter about an hour to make a large steamer. | |
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| Bamboo steamers are preferred over metal ones since bamboo absorbs moisture and won't cause condensation to drip onto the delicate bums and dumplings inside the steamer. | |
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| Baskets held together by bronze thread (right) are more durable, but most customers prefer the traditional look without metal wires. | |
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| Oversized steamers for restaurant use: Tuck Chong Sum Kee's regulars are Cantonese restaurants who have come to trust the Lam's for their quality and continue to buy from them even after migrating overseas. | |
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| Customers ask the shop to produce baskets in a range of sizes. One customer proposed to his fiancé with an engagement ring inside a mini bamboo steamer. | |
Tuck Chong Sum Kee Bamboo Steamer Company 12 Western Street, Hong Kong
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