gyoza gyoza gyoza

I have some extended family from Japan and have been lucky to grow up eating some yummy Japanese food. Dumplings have always been a favourite and whenever I go to an Oriental supermarket I always stock up on hundreds of gyoza wrappers for the freezer. Once you get the knack of folding them, they are extremely easy and quick to make. Here's my recipe for fried pork gyoza (or potstickers) but you can put pretty much whatever mince and vegetables you want in them.

Start with some pork mince. I won't both with volumes here, just try and aim for a 1:1 ratio of meat to vegetables. Then finely chop your vegetables, here I like to use leeks, spring onions, garlic and ginger but cabbage or pak choi works well too. Mix this with the mince well, use your hands to make sure the mince is broken up. Then season the mix using soy sauce and a drop of sesame oil. Cover and leave for an hour or two.

Next it's time to make the gyoza. Start my popping a dumpling wrapper in the palm of your hand and place a scant spoon of the meat mixture in the centre. Try not to overfill them. Use your finger and a touch of water to moisten the edge of half of the wrapper before folding it in half lightly. Then seal the gyoza by pleating the moistened edge of the wrapper and press firmly to the other side so it's looks like an open fan. Or little wrappers of goodness, as my housemate called them. This takes practice to achieve a neat dumpling.

To cook the gyoza you can simply boil them for a few minutes in a large pan of water or put them in a hot, oiled pan with the flat side facing down. Fry them until the undersides become crispy before adding water to the pan so the gyoza are half submerged. Place a lid on the pan and cook for a further 4 minutes or until the water has all gone. Remove the lid and cook a little longer to ensure a crispy base. You don't want a soggy bottom. Serve with the crispy side facing up and something to dip them in.

Oishii.