thebigfatnoodle

It’s Japan hour at our house :) Pork gyozas

Posted by thebigfatnoodle on September 21, 2011 · 7 Comments 

Gyoza making toolkit 🙂

Pork gyozas

There’s something about making dumplings that I just find inherently soothing.

I forgot to time myself but it took me roughly 30 minutes to make about 30 gyozas once I got the hang of it.

I don’t know why I love making dumplings but I simply do. I think it brings out the ‘control freak’ side of me, the side that loves having a process to follow, and loves following it to the nth degree.

The way my family wraps dumplings

The first recipe I ever posted on this blog was actually about dumplings, the ones my mum taught me how to make in my family’s traditional style (read that story here).

Today however was the first time I tried making gyoza, a style of Japanese dumplings. I have to say that as far as wrapping dumplings go, this really is easy to make – much easier than the Chinese style of dumpling my family makes – partly because the gyoza skin seems much more pliable than wanton skins.

I thought about shooting a quick video to show how to wrap gyozas but there are hundreds of videos online so I’ve provided a link to one that I think is really clear and simple to follow.

Gyoza making - very happy with my first attempt!

Gyoza - pork, vegetable and ginger-based stuffing

I thoroughly recommend you try and make some gyoza yourself – these home-made ones taste so much better when they’re fresh out of your own fry pan. Now that I’ve learnt how to make them, I can’t wait to start experimenting with different fillings. One thing though, this is one dish in which you have to get dirty; by that I mean using your hands to get your stuffing mixture well and truly mushed together and sticky. Tools simply won’t enable to get you the consistency you need so ickiness be damned, just use your hands!

Makes up to 35 gyoza

Ingredients

Gyoza stuffing mixture (makes 30-35 gyozas)

1 packet of ready made gyoza skins (35 skins in a pack)

300 grams minced pork

100 grams finely chopped spring greens – central stalk removed
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and pounded/minced

1 large clove of garlic, peeled and pounded/minced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon mirin

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Dip, dunk, devour!

Gyoza dipping sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon black vinegar

¼ teaspoon sugar

A few drops of sesame oil

A few drops of chilli oil if you have some

Making gyozas

In a large bowl, use your hand to really mash and squeeze all the stuffing ingredients together. You’ll know you’ve mashed it well enough when the stuffing mixture is all sticky and you can’t get it off your hands and fingers.

To learn how to wrap a gyoza, watch this video:

This is my favourite video, make sure you read the comments people have posted. I think they’re hilarious because it seems to be all women fantasising about this man and his hands, really quite funny!

You’ll need roughly one generous teaspoon of stuffing mixture for every gyoza. After you’ve made them, chill your gyozas in the fridge for ideally an hour at least.

Cooking gyoza (make sure you have a fry pan with a lid)

Using a brush or a paper towel, use one teaspoon of oil to coat a non-stick fry pan. Heat your fry pan and place your gyoza in the pan to fry. Fry them for about 1 minute.

I overstuffed my fry pan too much so take my advice, cook no more than 10-12 at a time

Pour water over your gyoza (no more than halfway up the gyoza), put the lid on your fry pan and let your gyozas cook for 5-6 minutes. The water should be almost all evaporated. Pour 1 teaspoon of oil over the gyoza and let them fry for another minute or so.

Serve them flipped over to show the fried side up, then dip, dunk and devour!

Crispy on one side, soft and slightly sticky on the other

Lots of love

thebigfatnoodle