Recipe Friday: Royal Palms Dim Sum Club

Entertaining in South Florida is a getting a dose of old school New York City Chinese nostalgia with a gourmet twist thanks to Royal Palms Dim Sum Club, a new catering company. The menu features such American Chinese classics as: King Yum shrimp toast; Pullman loaf packed with shrimp mousse; classic egg rolls; and crab rangoon. Dim sum—in the form of shrimp siu mai, pan fried dumplings, and congee—is also showcased, as well as large-format Cantonese classics like steamed seasonal fish with black bean sauce. 

Growing up in Queens, New York, Chef Robbie “Bobby Luau” Richter cut his teeth on such classic American-Chinese restaurants as Lum’s, King Yum, and Hong Fat in Queens, New York City.  As a child his favorite dish was barbecue spare ribs, so it was only natural Chef Robbie would go on to become an award-winning barbecue pitmaster years later. After more than a decade on the competitive barbecue circuit—including victories at countless regional competitions as well as wins at the prestigious national contests (like the Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue in Lynchburg, Tenn. and the American Royal Invitational Competition in Kansas City)–he went on to work for several Michelin acclaimed restaurants, including Fatty Cue.  

While at Fatty Cue, Chef Robbie mastered the vibrant flavors of Southeast Asia under the tutelage of Zak Pelaccio, which have remained a strong influence in his cuisine. He immediately fell in love all over again with the South Florida lifestyle, but found that Chinese food (in particular dim sum and classic Cantonese) was lacking. This led Chef Robbie to create Royal Palms Dim Sum Club, which offers everything from the classics of his childhood like King Yum Shrimp Toast and Barbecue Spare Ribs to his gourmet spins on classic dim sum and signature creations like Reuben Egg Rolls and Xing Jiang Pan Fried Lamb Dumplings.

Duck Tea Sandwich

Yield: 12

Ingredients

1. In a medium pot bring Shaoxing wine, chicken stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, ginger, garlic, one stalk green onion, star anise and bay leaf to a boil.
2. Add duck legs, cover and simmer for two hours.
3. Remove duck from pot and cool in refrigerator.
4. Pull duck meat from bones and mix with hoisin sauce.
5. Cut crust off bread and assemble with mayonnaise, sliced green onion, sliced cucumber and duck.
6. Slice in half and serve. 

1. In a bowl, mix the pastrami, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and caraway seeds.
2. Place ⅓ cup of filling in egg roll wrapper and follow instructions on package to assemble.
3. Use egg wash to seal.
4. Heat oil to 350° F and deep fry egg rolls in batches, turning as needed till evenly golden brown (approximately six minutes).
5. Serve with Russian dressing and Chinese hot mustard.