cook-with-eri: Japanese Gyoza Dumpling

This recipe is my daughter's favourite and a favourite of many other people I know. I recently had a cooking lesson with my 6 year old Japanese student who loves gyoza.

She told me that mine was better than her Dad's (don't tell her dad!) with a cheeky smile.

It's simple enough to make and you can freeze them for up to three months. I always have some in my freezer as a back up meal.

Ingredients

60 Gyoza sheet

500g Pork mince

100g Cabbage

60g Garlic chives

One stick of shallot

40g ginger

2 cloves of garlic

Canola oil (enough for frying gyoza)

Corn starch (enough for dusting tray)

Sesame oil (enough for final frying of gyoza)

150cc of warm water for one baking

Seasoning Dipping sauce: (For one)

3 tablespoons Soy sauce 1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons sake 1 tablespoon white vinegar

2 tablespoons sesame oil ¼ teaspoon chilli sauce (raa yu)

Pinch salt

Pinch pepper

Tip: Put pork mince in a medium bowl and knead with hands until it becomes sticky. Knead the pork mince well and add seasoning prior to cooking.

1. Put all seasonings together in a bowl. Wash all leafy vegetables beforehand.

2. Chop cabbage leaves and garlic chives, shallots, ginger and garlic finely.

3. Place a sheet of kitchen paper in a bowl and put all the chopped veggies into a bowl to remove extra moisture. Leave it in the fridge for about ten minutes to dry.

4. Take out the meat and veggie bowls from the fridge. Remove the kitchen paper from the veggie bowl. Put veggies into meat bowl and mix well but not knead.

5. Sprinkle corn starch onto a big tray.

Use small spoon to scoop the meat mixture onto the gyoza sheet and wrap the sheet (See pictures).
Make as many dumpling as you can. (See how to make gyoza steps)

6. Add canola oil to a frying pan (26cm bake 30 gyoza)

Heat the oil up (not too hot) and place gyozas in a frying pan in rows tightly. Once the bottom of the gyoza becomes golden brown, add about 150cc of warm water. Place the lid on and steam cook for 5-7 minutes.

7. Once most water is gone, take the lid off and cook more to reduce the rest of water. Shake the frying pan, and once gyoza can move freely on the pan, then add sesame oil around the edge of the frying pan. When the bottom of the gyoza becomes golden brown then it’s ready.

Serve gyoza on a plate. Eat with dipping sauce.

How to wrap a gyoza.

1. Take a piece of gyoza sheet in your hand. Scoop the meat mixture with a small spoon and place it in the middle of the sheet (see pic)