Gyoza (Dumplings)

I GOT A NEW CAMERA! It's red and lovely. It is taking a bit of getting used to, so please bear with me while I adjust.

Do you ever just make something that works out so well and leaves you so deliciously satisfied that you are happy for day after? I'm posting this recipe now so everyone has time during the week to go get the ingredients so you can all make them this weekend. You'll thank me.

So, last weekend I stuffed myself full of these bad boys. I first had these in Japan, and they were unlike anything I’d ever eaten before. The succulent filling, wrapped in a soft yet crunchy wrapper. I was keen for more, and actually found them in Brussels in an amazing little Thai restaurant, and that time they came with the most DIVINE dipping sauce which looked like plain soy sauce, but was actually nectar of the gods.

Ever since my second exposure to them, I was itching to have a go at home, and when I came across the technique I used here I knew that I had to have a go. I don’t have a steamer so I thought they would be lost to me. I also thought it would be hard to source the wrappers, but all the Asian grocery stores I checked had them in the freezer section.

They are extremely not hard to make, you just need to be organised (boo) and efficient, as this is a time-intensive cook. Try not to do what I did and start the whole process at 5pm. We ate at 8pm. Worth it.

The only tricky part was those characteristic and essential “pleats” which took a little bit of folding. For the technique, which is pictured in detail below, I folded it in half, and pinched it together in the centre. I then folded one side in on itself and pinched it to the other half on one side, and repeated it on the same side. I then did the same on the other side of the centre pinch. I then pinched the ends closed. Voila!

Makes 36

Ingredients for the gyoza

• ½ a large onion
• Small bunch of scallions
• 2 small carrots, grated
• Thumb of ginger
• 3 garlic cloves
• 500g pork mince
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• Salt and pepper
• Gyoza wrappers
• Sesame oil, to fry

Ingredients for the sauce

• 60ml rice vinegar
• 60ml soy sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
• 1 tsp grated ginger grated
• 1 scallion, chopped finely
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• ¼ tsp chilli flakes

Method

Firstly, if your wrappers are frozen, remove them from the freezer before you start everything else (I forgot, had to carefully defrost in the microwave for a few second to get them going).

So, really now start by preparing the gyoza filling. Chop the onion and scallion as fine as you can and grate the carrots. Grate the ginger and chop the garlic finely.

In a bowl, mash the pork in your hands until squishy and combined. Tip the onion, scallion, carrots, ginger and garlic into the meat mix and stir well to combine. Season well.

Then pour in the soy sauce, sesame oil, fish sauce and mirin, and mix well. Add cornstarch and mix everything together, then refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes.

While this is chilling, make the sauce. It couldn’t be easier. Chop the veggies small, then mix everything together and set aside.

For the dumpling wrappers, first wet all around the outer edge and plop a generous teaspoon of mixture in the middle.

Fold almost in half.

Pinch the centre and make a fold towards the middle just off to either side.

Makea second pleat and then repeat on the other side.

Then pinch the edges closed and place on a baking tray.

When you’ve made all of them (it took me about an hour, legit) heat a pan to medium high heat and drizzle with sesame oil. When hot, place a ring of six gyoza in the pan, filling side down.

Let sit for 3 minutes in the pan.

Pour hot water in the empty circle in the centre of the pan so that it reaches a depth of ½ cm. It will be steamy! Cover and cook for 6-8 minutes until all the water is boiled off.

I put them on a baking tray and kept them in a warm oven  until the rest were ready.

Serve with the sauce. Dip them in the sauce. Eat. THE SAUCE IS CRUCIAL.