Dim sims
Dim sim
Melbourne's big pork and cabbage dumplings, open at the top, steamed until firm or steamed and then deep-fried. Eaten with soy sauce.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: Dim sim.
- Prep
- 50 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 1 hr 10 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
A dim sim is the Australian cousin of siu mai, only larger, firmer and plainer. The filling is fatty minced pork with finely chopped cabbage, onion, ginger and soy, beaten until sticky so it sets into a dense, springy plug. It is wrapped in a thin wheat wrapper left open at the top. South Melbourne-style ones are steamed and eaten soft, or steamed first and then deep-fried until the wrapper blisters and crunches. Wonton wrappers do the job at home. Steam them in a bamboo basket over a wok, splash them with soy sauce and eat them hot.
What you'll need
15 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Filling
- Wrapping
- To serve
Ingredients
Filling
- Pork, minced, at least 20% fat500 g
- Cabbage, very finely chopped200 g
- Salt, for the cabbage4.9 ml
- Onion, finely chopped1 small
- Spring onion, finely sliced2
- Ginger, grated15 ml
- Garlic, crushed2 clove
- Soy sauce30 ml
- Toasted sesame oil4.9 ml
- White pepper4.9 ml
- Sugar4.9 ml
Wrapping
- Wonton skin, square wonton wrappers24 sheet
To serve
- Soy sauce, for dipping59 ml
- Neutral oil, for deep-frying (optional)1 l
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Mix the chopped cabbage with the salt and leave it for 15 minutes. Squeeze it hard in a clean cloth or in your fists to get rid of as much water as you can.
15 min
Step 2
Put the pork, squeezed cabbage, onion, spring onion, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper, sugar and cornflour in a bowl. Stir hard in one direction for 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture turns pale and sticky and pulls away from the bowl.
5 min
Tip: This beating is what gives the firm, springy bite. Do not skip it.
Step 3
Hold a wrapper in a loose fist, put a heaped tablespoon of filling in the centre and close your hand around it so the wrapper pleats up the sides. Leave the top open, press the filling down with a wet teaspoon and tap the base flat on the bench.
25 min
Tip: Trim the wrapper corners with scissors first if you want a neater round top.
Step 4
Line a bamboo steamer with baking paper punched with holes, or with cabbage leaves. Set the dim sims in it without touching and steam over a wok of boiling water for 12 to 15 minutes, until the filling is firm and cooked through.
15 min
Watch: The pork must be cooked through, 71°C in the centre; cut one open if unsure. Top the wok up with boiling water from the kettle, because a steamer that boils dry scorches.
Step 5
To fry them, let the steamed dim sims cool for a few minutes. Empty and dry the wok, heat the oil in it to 180°C and deep-fry them for 3 to 4 minutes until the wrapper blisters and turns deep gold. Drain on a rack.
10 min180°C
Watch: Pat off any water from the steamer first and lower them in gently; wet dumplings make hot oil spit.
Step 6
Serve them hot, with soy sauce splashed over or in a dish to dip.
1 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 202 kcal
- Protein
- 6.4 g
- Carbs
- 2.9 g
- Fat
- 18.4 g
- Saturated fat
- 2.6 g
- Fibre
- 0.5 g
- Sugar
- 0.8 g
- Sodium
- 346 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Soy
- Eggs
- Sesame
- Dairy-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.
Substitutions
Wonton wrappers → Round gow gee or gyoza wrappers
Easier to pleat into the round shape and slightly thicker.
Tips
- Steamed dim sims freeze well. Steam or fry them straight from frozen, allowing about 5 minutes more.
- Some shops put a little minced lamb or mutton in with the pork. Swap 100 g of the pork for it if you want that flavour.
History & culture
In Victoria they are a fish-and-chip shop staple, ordered by the half-dozen alongside potato cakes. The South Melbourne Market stall has weekend queues, and football crowds eat them at half-time. Locals call them dimmies. The argument is steamed against fried, and the usual answer is some of each. Soy sauce is the standard dressing.
Chinese Australians had cooked and sold food in Melbourne since the gold rush. The dim sim as a mass-produced snack is usually credited to William Wing Young, a Melbourne restaurateur, in the 1940s, who adapted siu mai into something sturdier for local customers. A stall at South Melbourne Market has sold them since the late 1940s. Most now come from factories.
Traditional — Shop dim sims are machine-made with a thicker, chewier wrapper and often a little lamb or mutton and more cereal binder in the filling. Wonton wrappers give a thinner skin; the filling and method are the same.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Dim sims take?
1 hr 10 min all in — 50 min prep, 20 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 24 pieces. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Soy, Eggs, Sesame. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Nut-free.
11 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Chef's knife, Cutting board, Mixing bowl, Wok, Spider or strainer.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp (for the cabbage).
How much soy sauce?
2 tbsp of Soy sauce.
How much toasted sesame oil?
1 tsp of Toasted sesame oil.
How much sugar?
1 tsp of Sugar.
How much soy sauce?
4 tbsp (for dipping) of Soy sauce.
What can I use instead?
Wonton wrappers → Round gow gee or gyoza wrappers. Easier to pleat into the round shape and slightly thicker.
What should I watch for?
The pork must be cooked through, 71°C in the centre; cut one open if unsure. Top the wok up with boiling water from the kettle, because a steamer that boils dry scorches. Pat off any water from the steamer first and lower them in gently; wet dumplings make hot oil spit.
Any tips from this recipe?
Steamed dim sims freeze well. Steam or fry them straight from frozen, allowing about 5 minutes more. Some shops put a little minced lamb or mutton in with the pork. Swap 100 g of the pork for it if you want that flavour.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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