Gyoza, the truth about the japanese dumpling

I love gyozas. Very much so. Form the first time I tried them here in a restaurant in London, and later in Japan, looking at the chefs and the street food vendors. They come originally from China, the Japanese adopted them, and now along with the ramen they are part of daily life in the land of the rising sun. The dough is thinner in the Japanese version, and the filling is so versatile, but the most typical is the one with minced pork. They freeze really well.

This is my friend´s Noriko´s recipe, and the only tricky thing is the way to seal the gyozas, but as they say: Practice makes perfect, and after three or four fiascos, you will be making them with your eyes closed. I love the way they are cooked, grilling them on a hot pan with little oil, and then steaming them with water. Brilliant!

Ingredients

1 packet prepared gyoza skins

250g minced pork

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 garlic clove finely chopped

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons finely chopped Chinese chives (or normal)

3 0r 4 Chinese cabbage leaves or Savoy cabbage

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Salt and pepper

For the sauce

Soy sauce

A little chilli oil or rice vinegar

Method

Boil the cabbage leaves for 4 minutes. Drain and chop finely. Mix with the pork, the sesame oil, the garlic, the water, the flour, the soy sauce the chives and the salt and pepper. Place one gyoza skin in one hand and pt one teaspoon of the filling in the middle, brush half the edge with water and seal trying to follow the pattern, and keeping the folds.

To cook the gyozas, put a tablespoon of vegetable or sunflower oil in a pan, place the gyozas and grill only on one side for 3 to 4 minutes, then add a splash of water and cover the pan, so they cook in the steam. Leave them for 3 or 4 more minutes. For the sauce, mix the soy sauce and the chilli oil or rice vinegar and serve wit the hot gyozas. (One bite)