Dim Sims were probably the thing that my mum missed the most. I have a memory of me eating them when I was quite young out of a pink bowl at my nans. That was probably the last time I ate dim sims until Asian Concepts introduced their gluten free dim sims. After introducing them Asian Concepts also had both their varieties endorsed by Coeliac Australia. So far they are not widely available, however they are working on obtaining more stockists around Australia. I originally bought the meat variety from La Manna in Essendon Fields. However, since then my local IGA has got both varieties in stock. You can find them priced at roughly $12.99 for the 10 pack. This rough price puts the individual dim sim at $1.30 each.
The dim sims are able to be steamed, baked or deep fried depending on how you like them. I tried a few steamed but admit that I enjoy the guilty pleasure of a deep fried dim sim much more. Unlike the dim sims that I used to eat as a child, these are larger and ball shaped over the rectangular shape. They remind me more of the South Melbourne style dim sims that my dad buys in terms of shape. I think that this keeps the home made feeling in tact. It does however mean that you’ll need to sit them upright properly when steamed. I had one burst a little and spill the contents over my steamer. For both cooking options I did defrost my dim sims before cooking.
Standard Dim Sims
The standard dim sims have that real classic taste that I remember. Its that wonderful blend of pork and cabbage that lingers for ages after you’ve eaten them. Frying these dim sims for a few minutes on each side brought out a beautiful golden colour and crispy coating. In terms of flavour, I feel like the gluten free coating is lighter than a standard coating. I don’t feel like there is a lot of difference in terms of flavour though. The inside of the dim sim remained juicy, with a soft meatloaf time consistency. I like the fact that I can fry the dim sims and not overcook the meat inside. The filling to casing ratio impressed me, I don’t feel like they skimped at all.
It wasn’t a surprise that I really fell in love with these. In fact, Brody and I have been picking them up regularly since we first tried them. For me, I remove the original packaging and portion them into singles or couples. This way when we decide to have a fish and chip ‘take away’ night I can quickly take them out, fry them up and enjoy along with him. Since they are relatively plump and well sized, two would easily fill me alongside some chips.
Vegetarian Dim Sims
As I previously mentioned the vegetarian dim sims are the newest addition to their family. Better yet on top of being gluten free vegetarian dim sims, they are vegan and fructose friendly. I am hoping this is a great option for me to prepare when my friend Steph comes around. Again these have the same crispy coating when fried. I did try this variety steamed and found them perfectly edible. The casing was cooked well and wasn’t too chewy. I thought the filling ratio on these was a little bit lighter than the meat variety. They also seemed a little bit smaller in size when compared.
The filling itself was flavourful, which when working with fructose friendly foods can be tricky. Despite being vegan and fructose friendly they had a complex profile which tasted good. The dim sims weren’t too plain and Brody thought they were similar to a Chiko roll. Each bite brought a different vegetable to the table. While nothing goes past my typical dim sim flavour, these are definitely a side option that I’ll keep in mind.
While the products are only available in limited locations at the moment. For an idea of stockists head over to their facebook page, in December they announced their first Tasmanian distributor. Thankfully, they are keen on expanding their reach to other states. This new year provides them with the opportunity to discuss with a large national distributor. Queensland at this moment is looking to be the first destination to see these in stores.
That’s it for this week’s mini review. I hope you enjoyed it.
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Until Next Time;
Ashlee; The Aussie Coeliac.
Great review! I’m yet to try the vegetarian ones!!
The normal dim sims I purchase directly from the factory. The 30 pieces pack is $30 or $10 for the 10 pack.
The packages that I have don’t have anything about thawing. I’ve always cooked mine from frozen and the casing always stays in tact. I’d be interested in seeing the difference thawing them first.
I can’t wait to see what products the company will come up with next! 😊
It seems that only the new vegetarian package mentioned anything about thawing. The 30 bulk pack you can pick up from Brians in Lyndhusrt also doesn’t say anything about thawing 🙂
Hi Ashlee, I love these dim sims, I think they are amazing. I have always cooked them from frozen I have only cooked them at home in the steamer and never had any problems, but I tried the vegetarian one’s the other day and they did split a little bit, but I was still able to eat them I just had to eat them with a knife and fork.
Yesterday we took a drive over to Brian’s Gourmet Meats in Lyndhurst they have a bag of 30 dim sims for $ 36 I thought that was a great price.
I love the reviews, keep up the great work.
Michelle
Yes! I saw that Brian’s had a bulk pack. That is really exciting!
Thank you for reading.
– Ashlee
Hi you don’t actually need to thaw these dim sims to steam them. You can cook them from frozen. This is how I prepare them and have never had the contents spill out.
Hi Contessa;
I just followed the instructions on the back that said thaw before cooking 🙂 It’s good to know you can steam from frozen.