Dim Sim is Australia's unique Chinese-fusion dumpling — a large, thick-skinned pastry filled with pork or lamb mince, cabbage, and spices, then steamed or deep-fried. Invented in Melbourne in the 1940s, it is NOT a Chinese dim sum but an Australian creation inspired by it — bigger, blunter, and wrapped in a thick dough. Eaten with soy sauce from a paper bag.
The Dim Sim was invented in Melbourne in the 1940s by Chinese-Australian entrepreneur William Wing Young. He wanted to create a dumpling that would appeal to Australian tastes — larger than Chinese dim sum, with a thicker wrapper and a meatier filling (pork or lamb, not the seafood of Cantonese dim sum). The result was a chunky, satisfying dumpling that became an Australian takeaway staple, sold at fish-and-chip shops, Chinese restaurants, and markets. It is steamed (the traditional way) or deep-fried (the fish-and-chip shop way), and always served with soy sauce. The Dim Sim is uniquely Australian — it exists nowhere else, not even in China.
A large, squat dumpling, the wrapper thick and slightly translucent when steamed (or golden and crisp when fried), the filling a dense, peppery mixture of pork and cabbage. Dip it in soy sauce; bite through the thick wrapper into the savory, juicy interior. It is the most Australian Chinese-fusion food there is.
The wrapper is thicker than Chinese dim sum wrappers (it uses a wheat dough, not commercial wonton skins). The filling is coarsely minced pork (or lamb) with finely shredded cabbage, seasoned with white pepper, sugar, and soy — the spice profile is simpler and more robust than Chinese dumplings. The dumplings are shaped into a half-moon or round pouch, sealed, and steamed for 15 minutes or deep-fried until golden.
Variations
Some use lamb instead of pork (the South Australian style); some add water chestnuts; some make them smaller; the fried version is the fish-and-chip classic.
On the Palate
Where Dim Sim sits in the Australian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 8How it's made
7 steps · 1 hour active + 30 min waiting
- 132 min
Make dough: 400 g flour, 200 ml boiling water, 1 tsp salt; knead smooth; rest 30 minutes.
Watch outKnead the boiling-water dough until it's smooth and satiny, then rest it — the hot water makes a soft, pliable wrapper that won't crack when you fold.
- 28 min
Make filling: mix 400 g ground pork, 200 g finely shredded cabbage, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp white pepper, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 tsp grated ginger.
- 38 min
Roll the dough to 2 mm thick; cut into 12-cm circles.
- 410 min
Place 2 tbsp filling on each; fold into a half-moon or pouch; seal.
Watch outPinch the seams tight and fully closed — any gap and the dim sim splits open in the steamer or the fryer.
- 515 min
Steam over boiling water 15 minutes.
- 61 min
OR deep-fry at 180°C for 3-4 minutes until golden.
Watch outIf frying, hold the oil around 180°C so they come out golden and crisp — cooler oil and the thick wrapper turns greasy and pale.
- 71 min
Serve with soy sauce for dipping.
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