Reykjavík Grapevine - feb. 2021, Side 29

sang adds, “flour, meat, green on-
ions are the main ingredients and
the filling varies; in China, it is
usually pork mince, in India and
Nepal it is goat and beef, in Tibet it
is lamb and yak. The way we shape
them and cook them can vary from
country to country.”
Then of course, there is the
dumpling skin itself, from snowy,
slightly chewy bread like bao giv-
ing way to generous fillings of slow
braised meat to the jewel-like iri-
descence of har gow indicative of
the mixture inside.
Dumplings are definedly rooted
to place—from Turkish manti and
the universe of Chinese dumplings
to their unfilled namesakes of
North America and Germany. So
how does the dumpling translate
to Iceland?
“Dragon [Dim Sum] is the perfect
marriage between Icelandic ingre-
dients and labouring of Asian dim
sum passion,” offers Kunsang.
“My background (in fine dining)
lends itself to focusing on locally
sourcing and playing with ingredi-
ents that I have on hand rather than
[only] referring to classical ingredi-
ents or classical flavours of any par-
ticular cuisine,” Hrafnkell chimes
in. “It also gives me the freedom of
creativity to play with whatever is
local and not confining me with the
constraints of cuisine—dim sum,
in this case.”
Dim sum for today
Hrafnkell makes a case long echoed
even by those considered the gate-
keepers of Cantonese dim sum cul-
ture. That dim sum chefs should
experiment and be creative, and
apply traditional techniques to
conceptualise well balanced dishes
that honour the old and the new. Ul-
timately dim sum is typically small
and exquisite. Often seasonal and
a showcase of the chef’s precision
skills and techniques, dumplings
are more than parcels of filling—a
delicate interplay of textures, fla-
vours and beauty.
The dumplings at Dragon aren’t
strictly traditional and the nomen-
clature does ruffle feathers if you
are familiar with dim sum. The xiao
long bao are more bao than soup
dumplings, albeit dangerously ad-
dictive once you get past the name
(this dish has been through several
iterations and the current braised
beef is their best one yet) and the
chiu chao are shorn of their signa-
ture crystal wrappers, although the
beet and walnut filling is as Nordic
as it gets. The shao mai are packed
with flavour, a light-
er counterpart to
the deeply savoury
ones at Fine. The
sauces and presen-
tation, however, do
set them specifical-
ly apart from their
traditional counterparts. “It is defi-
nitely a nod to the Icelanders’ love
for sauces,” the owners confirm.
Textures may be monotone
with the dumplings (they are all
steamed), but the spunky sides add
variety; I am particularly partial to
their slaw—punchy and fresh. I se-
cretly do long for classic dim sum
fare like lo mai gai (sticky rice in
lotus leaf), lo bak go (crispy radish
cakes) and divisive but delicious
braised chicken feet, and fervently
hope they will all make their way to
Dragon.
Handmade morsels
Kunsang stresses the importance
of the process. "I make sure the
dough is on-point and we shape
every single dumpling by hand,”
he shares, "Hrafnkell and Eggert
oversee all the fillings and sauces.”
Hrafnkell chuckles. “We’re a team
of six and it is always all hands on
deck—we barely manage to pull it
off,” he says.
Having watched Kunsang ex-
pertly pleat each dumpling, I can
personally attest that he is speedier
than a machine, folding anywhere
from four to eight dumplings per
minute depending on the type!
Labour-intensive food is often
indicative of time, patronage and
a slow culinary evo-
lution. To savour
something hand-
made, in a fast-
paced world where
ready-to-eat con-
venience of ‘Asian
foods’ belies the
sheer effort and skills involved, is
an experience worth seeking out.
At Dragon Dim Sum, we are invited
to share this joy.
“I love dumplings and make
them for myself even if I’m eating
alone. There’s nothing quite like
it,” Kunsang sighs contently. We
couldn’t agree more.
29The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 02— 2021
Don't dump on these 'lings
Hey, do you want sum?
Food
“It is definitely a
nod to the Ice-
landers love for
sauces.”
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