Dim Sim

The Chinese-inspired Australian snack

The dim sim or 'dimmy' as many Australians call it, is a Westernised variation of the Chinese dim sum. The dim sim is a popular dumpling-style snack food filled with meat (usually ground pork and lamb/mutton) and vegetables (usually cabbage) and is either deep fried or steamed. The snack is typically sold in Asian takeaways, fast food outlets and fish and chip shops in Australia.

The dim sim is said to have been first developed in 1945 in Melbourne by Chinese chef William Wing Young. Since then several variations of the snack have been conceived. These include the chicken dim sim, vegetable dim sim and the larger, round shaped 'home made' dim sim.