There is the Chinese traditional Dim Sim eaten [at the Yum Cha restaurants] and there is THE Australian Dim Sim, mate! Derived from the Chinese dim sum, the Aussie Dim Sim is about TWICE as large as its oriental heritage equivalent, and in a way looks like a fried Cricket ball! The Australian Dim Sim is sold at the local Fish and Chips shop and usually eaten as a snack and served in a double lined plain paper bag. Australians usually drown it in soy sauce. Pictured here is the fried version. The steamed version is also available, but most folks go for the fried version as it last and lasts like the Energizer bunny. (it doesn�t go soggy)

ORIGINS. In 1945, William Wing Young, father of Elizabeth Chong (prominent Melbourne author and master teacher of Chinese Cuisine) produced the first Dim Sim in his restaurant Wing Lee.

"My father was the first to create the style and shape and the commercial production of the Dim Sim," says Elizabeth. "He chose the thick skin for ease of transport; he used to deliver them in his Chevy to the football where he set up in competition with the Four-and-Twenty pie. Before long, his factory was producing thousands of them for sale throughout Australia."

The rest, like they say is history. Now the Dim Sim is part of Australian daily life!