Japanese Gyoza

Ingredients

Makes 30 dumplings

• 300 grams pork or chicken mince
• 2 tsp white sugar
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sake
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 cups (160g) grated cabbage
• 4 spring onions, sliced thinly
• 30 gyoza wrappers, or use the recipe below to make your own
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup water

Dipping sauce

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

Homemade wrappers

• 2 cups plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup water, plus more if needed

Method

Mix mince, sugar, soy, sake, egg, oil, cabbage, and onion in a bowl. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

To assemble: place a rounded teaspoon of the mixture in the centre of each wrapper, wet one edge and press to seal.

Place oil in a large frying pan (large enough to cook all dumplings, or cook in batches). Place dumplings base down and cook until the bases are crisp. Add water, then cover. Steam dumplings until they are cooked through.

Serve with dipping sauce.

Dipping sauce

Mix soy and vinegar in a bowl. Serve with dumplings.

Homemade wrappers

If you can't get gyoza wrappers, you can easily make them from cupboard basics!

Mix flour with salt and water, knead for 5 minutes or until a soft dough forms. Add more water or flour if needed. It should be soft but not sticky. Cover and rest the dough for 1 hour.

Divide the dough into walnut-sized balls. You can use a scale, they should be 10 grams each. Flatten each ball and use a rolling pin to shape into 8cm rounds. Continue with the recipe above, but do not wet edge to seal them as they seal easily without water.

Freeze any extra dough.

Note: this recipe was originally destined for the kids holiday class 'Japanese Gyoza' which was scheduled for April 2020 but cancelled due to the COVID-19.

Image is indicative only and does not reflect the exact ingredients in the recipe.