Trader Joe Dim Sum. Clockwise from high noon: Chicken Cilantro Mini Wontons, Philly Cheesesteak Bao Buns, Pork Shu Mai and Pork Gyoza Pot Stickers.
Turns out you can put together a decent dim sum assortment from the Trader Joe freezer case for well under $10 per person. I purchased Chicken Cilantro Mini Wontons, Pork Gyoza Pot Stickers, Pork Shumai and Philly Cheesesteak Bao Buns. The pieces were arranged on cabbage leaves (which prevent sticking, and may add some flavor) in a bamboo steamer straight from the freezer. They were ready in under 10 minutes.
Chicken Cilantro Mini Wontons: these were light rather than dense, with a fresh flavor profile from I think green onion, and you could definitely taste the cilantro.
Pork Gyoza Pot Stickers: interior was similar to the Mini Won Tons, but with pork. There’s a lot of exterior surface that doesn’t have much taste when steamed. Would have benefitted from being fried to pick up some flavor and crispness.
Pork Shumai: my favorite, dense and chewy with lots of pork flavor. I’d actually pick these over the shumai I encounter in my favorite dim sum places which are made with beef, not pork.
Philly Cheesesteak Bao Buns: not a fan. Good fluffy texture to the (quite small) bao, but the filling tasted like pulled pork, not anything cheesy. In any case a discordant element. A Char Siu Bao Bun is available and would probably be fine, but local TJ did not have it in stock. Also, there are fewer pieces in package (4, vs a dozen or so) than the other items. Probably wouldn’t buy again.
In closing, a suggestion for the Trader. As you can see in the top picture, there is no common theme to the packaging. This is typical of Trader Joe; they do not impose packaging standards on their third-party manufacturers, maybe because they want their shelves to look like they are full of foods pulled together from random places. But they would sell more dim sum if the packages had a common design so people would understand they are supposed to buy multiple products.
