These tasty morsels make a great starter, except for the fact that those few bites may leave your guests longing for more. A little practice son yields deftly pleated edges, although a little Japanese crimping tool exists precisely to simplify this task.
Ingredients: (Makes 30)
For the filling:
- 200 g/7 oz Chinese cabbage, stems removed, finely chopped
- 200 g/7 oz minced (ground) pork
- 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1½ tablespoons shoyu (Japanese soy sauce)
- 2 teaspoons sake
- 2 teaspoons mirin
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper 2 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
For the dipping sauce:
- 80 ml/2½ fl oz Japanese rice vinegar
- 80 ml/2½ fl oz shoyu (Japanese soy sauce)
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil or chilli sesame oil
- 200 g/7 oz gyoza wrappers vegetable oil, for pan-frying, plus an extra 2 teaspoons
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- Japanese mustard, to serve, optional
Method:
To make the filling, place cabbage in a colander, sprinkle with salt and stand for 30 minutes. Squeeze well, then mix with the rest of the filling ingredients.
Meanwhile, to make the dipping sauce, put all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Divide among small sauce dishes.
Lay a wrapper in the palm of your hand and put 2 teaspoons of the filling in the middle. Lightly dampen the edge of the wrapper with water, then fold the edges together to form a semicircle. Press firmly to enclose the filling. Lightly dampen the curved edge of the wrapper, then overlap around the edge to form a pleat. Put each dumpling on a tray lined with plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
Heat a little oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Put the dumpling in the pan, flat-side down, in a single layer, leaving a little space between each dumpling. (If your pan is not large enough to fit all the dumplings at once, cook them in batches.) Cook for 2 minutes, or until the bottoms are crisp and golden. Combine 125 ml/4 fl oz/½ cup boiling water with 2 teaspoons of the vegetable oil and the sesame oil, then add to the pan. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove the lid, increase the heat to high and cook until liquid has evaporated, making sure the dumplings don’t catch and burn. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.
Serve with the dipping sauce.