Gyoza

Gyoza (Japanese Dumplings) Recipe

Japanese Gyoza are a version of Chinese Dim Sim or pot stickers. You may prefer to use pre-made Dim Sim or Wonton wrappers, as making your own wrappers is very time consuming.

• 170 ml / 6 fl oz of water
• 200 grams / 7 oz of strong white flour

• 250 grams / 8 oz of ground pork mince
• 1 cup of finely chopped white cabbage
• ½ cup of finely chopped button mushrooms
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon of crushed fresh ginger
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of soft brown sugar (optional)
• 1 teaspoon of sesame oil

• water for assembly
• peanut or vegetable oil for frying

• ½ cup of soy sauce
• ½ cup of rice vinegar

Wrappers

In a medium sized bowl, mix the water and the flour to a dough. Knead the dough until it is no longer sticky but is still soft. Place an up-turned bowl over the dough, and let it stand for 30 minutes. Cut the dough into 32 pieces, roll each piece through a pasta machine or roll out thinly by hand with a rolling pin. Using a cutter cut each piece into a thin circle 10cm (4 inches) across.

Filling

Very finely chop the cabbage, button mushrooms and spring onions or pulse them in a food processor until they are very fine. Combine the cabbage, mushrooms, spring onions, garlic, ginger and the ground pork together. Add the soy sauce, brown sugar and sesame oil and mix well.

Assembly

Place one teaspoon of the filling onto a circle of dough. Moisten one edge with water and bring the edges together, pinch and crimp the gyoza closed, moulding into a small 'pasty' or 'moneybag' shape. Repeat with the remaining filling mixture and wrappers.

Cooking

Heat a large frypan, add a little oil and fry batches of the Gyoza until the bottoms are slightly golden brown. Add enough water so that it reaches half way up the sides of the gyoza. Ensure the frypan keeps a high heat and wait until all the water has evaporated. Remove the gyoza from the pan and serve with the following dipping sauce.

Dipping sauce

Mix the same quantity of soy sauce together with vinegar.

Makes 32 Gyoza

Preparation:

Dough:

1. Mix the water and the flour to a dough that should not be sticky but as soft as an ear lobe.

2. Put a wet towel over the dough, and let it stand for several minutes.

3. Separate the dough in 30 pieces, and form each of them to very thin discs with a diameter of about 10 cm. The middle of each disc should be a little bit thicker than the edge.

Filling:

4. Cut some green, outer cabbage leaves, some green onion (or leek), nira, ginger, and garlic in very small pieces. The amount of these ingredients should equal the amount of meat. Do it as you like.
5. Put some salt on the cabbage, and let it stand for five minutes. Then press the water out of the cabbage pieces.

6. Mix the cabbage, green onion (or leek), nira, ginger, garlic, and the ground pork all together, and add some salt, pepper, soya sauce, sake, and sesame oil. Mix it all very well.

Making and frying the Gyoza:

7. Put some of the filling onto a piece of dough. Remember that the filling should suffice for 30 gyoza pieces.

8. Moisten the edge of the dough with water. Moisten only a semicircle, not all the way around.

9. Close the gyoza. While closing it, fold the edge about 6 times as shown on the image.

10. Put the gyoza on the table as shown in the image.

11. Fry the Gyoza in a little bit of hot oil until the bottom is brownish, then add water so that the gyoza are in the water with about half of their hight.
12. Keep the high heat and wait until all the water has vaporized. Then remove the gyoza from the heat.
13. Dipping sauce: Mix the same amounts of soya sauce and vinegar together.

Japanese Chicken over Rice

Ingredients :
6 large chicken breast halves
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup mirin or sake
1 teaspoon minced gingerroot
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 scallions (with tops), cut diagonally
into 1/4-inch slices
3 cups hot cooked rice

Remove bones and skin from chicken breast halves. Mix soy sauce, mirin, gingerroot and garlic in medium glass or plastic bowl. Place chicken in soy mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Drain chicken, reserving soy mixture. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet until hot. Cook chicken over medium heat until brown on both sides and done, about 15 minutes.

Heat water, sugar and reserved soy mixture to boiling in 3-quart saucepan; boil and stir 2 minutes. Stir in scallions.

Cut each chicken breast half into 6 diagonal slices by holding the knife or cleaver at a 45 degree angle to the cutting surface. Place 6 slices on rice in soup bowl. Spoon hot liquid over chicken.

Yields 6 servings.