Mog’s Special Gyoza (焼き餃子)

Some Japanese people might say my recipe is too simple, but I love my simple gyoza.Although gyoza is originally Chinese cuisine, it’s been developed independently in Japan. Now, gyoza is one of the national cuisines.

Ingredients

(2 servings)

[Gyoza wrappers]
 If you can get gyoza wrappers, you don’t have to make them, but homemade Gyoza wrappers are amazing!

• 60g of All-purpose flour
• 60g of Bread flour
• 5 Tablespoons of boiling water
• All-purpose flour for dusting

• 100g of ground pork
• 1 Tablespoon of starch
• 2 Teaspoons of sesame oil
• 200g of cabbage
• Salt: dash
• Black pepper: dash

• Soy sauce: Vinegar (If any, rice vinegar): Honey: Sesame oil = 2:2:1:1
• Grated Garlic: as much as you want.

1.  Put flour in a bowl and pour boiling water. Mix roughly.
   
   
2. Knead the dough until the dough becomes smooth. The dough should be as hard as an earlobe, you may add some water if needed.
   

   You may put the flour in a plastic bag when you knead.

   
3. Wrap the dough with wrapping film (or put in a plastic bag), and leave at the room temperature for 30 minutes.
4. Cut the dough into 24 equal parts.
   
   
5. Roll out the dough and try to make it roughly circle about 10 cm in diameter. Use all-purpose flour for dusting if needed.
   
   
6. Boil cabbage leaves in boiling water. Chop the cabbage into small pieces, then drain the water.
   

   I used a food processor to chop cabbage.

7. Put ground pork, sesame oil, and starch into a bowl, then add black pepper and salt, then knead for a few minutes.
   
   
8. Put chopped cabbage to minced pork, then mix them.
9. Take a wrapper and place it in the palm of your non-dominant hand. Use a teaspoon to take a small amount of filling and put it in the centre of the wrapper. Dip one finger in a bowl of water and draw a circle around the wrapper with your wet finger until it’s wet all around.
   

   My husband’s method: Put the wrapper on a plate, and fold gyoza.

10. Fold the wrapper in half over the filling and pinch it in the centre with your fingers. Then pinch to make a pleat in the middle. Press the folded pleat tightly. (If possible, make 3 pleats.)
    
11. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, place the gyoza in a single layer, flat side down
    
    
12. Cook until the bottom of the gyoza turns golden brown, about 3 minutes.
13. Add ¼ cup of water to the pan. Immediately cover with a lid and steam the gyoza for about 3 minutes or until most of the water evaporates.
    
    
14. Remove the lid to evaporate any remaining water. Add 1 tsp sesame oil to the frying pan.
15. Cook uncovered until the Gyoza is nice and crisp on the bottom.
16. [Dipping Sauce] Put all ingredients together and mix them.
17. Transfer to a plate and serve with dipping sauce.