Dim Sum question

Yesterday my husband and I went to dim sum. After at least 12 plates we decided it was time to stop. Right as we were leaving we saw a cart with an item we hadn't seen before. We have no idea what it was but it looked interesting. It was a vivid dark green log type thing that was wrapped in what appeared to be garlic chives and tied at intervals with more chives. We couldn't see what was in the log, but the server poured a soy based sauce over it for serving. It was too crowded and busy to stop her to ask what it was. Does anyone have an idea what it might have
been?

Zataar, when you say a "log" do you mean it was a constructed kind of thing? My first thought was Chinese broccoli, which looks like green logs and which is always a nice, refreshing contrast to all the doughy and fried stuff (not that there's anything wrong with that). But of course it's not usually tied up in garlic chives...

The log was quite cylindrical, with the chives running the length of it. I agree with you about the broccoli. We always get that and pickled cabbage as a counterpoint to all the pork and carbohydrates.

wonder if it was spinach or some other leaves enclosing sticky rice?

quote:

Originally posted by zataar

The log was quite cylindrical, with the chives running the length of it. I agree with you about the broccoli. We always get that and pickled cabbage as a counterpoint to all the pork and carbohydrates.

as our "counterpoint", we order what has to be the best version of CC salad I've ever had.. the dressing is lemony and very very light..

Right, that's gotta be it - banana leaves. The sticky rice has some chunky meat in the middle. The ones I've had, though, have not been quite cylindrical, but an odd shape that's more like a pyramid. (When I lived in Oregon in the early '70s they used to give us milk at school in cartons that shape.)

We had lotus leaf wrapped sticky rice, so that wasn't it. It was definitely wrapped in garlic chives and appeared to be filled with something equally as green. We thought it looked alot like spinach, but it also looked somewhat firm. I'm going to research this one. Jennifer, what is CC salad? That sounds good.

We finally were able to try the green log mystery dim sum. It was indeed simply spinach. It had been blanched, then with all the leaves and stems going the same direction, had been rolled in to a compressed log shape. It must have been rolled in something like a sushi mat, it was perfectly cylindrical. And dry, but still moist, there wasn't any spinach juice at all on the plate. When we chose it from the cart, the server drizzled a soy - sesame type sauce over it and sprinkled it with black and white sesame seeds. It was room temperature,and had been cut into 4 parts, each about 2". I could pick up a section with my chopsticks without it falling apart, but it was very tender and very delicious. And it tasted extremely healthy. We also had pan seared steamed seafood buns with chinese chives that were unusual. Very fluffy dough, but crispy on the bottom where it had been sauteed. Lots of great textures and flavors going on.

We often have kale, served in a similar manner.