How to make Japanese gyoza

By Japan specialist Rory

While studying in Tokyo, I worked part-time as a chef, preparing a menu full of light Japanese dishes. Of all the Japanese delicacies I’ve cooked and eaten, my favorite is gyoza. You can make these dumplings in so many ways, using a variety of fillings. Plus, you can freeze a batch for later.

Ingredients

3 leaves of Chinese leaf lettuce, chopped finely

3 spring onions, chopped finely

2 garlic cloves, chopped finely

½ thumb-sized piece of ginger, chopped finely

3-4 shiitake mushrooms, chopped finely

1 lb. pork

1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce

1 ½ teaspoons mirin

1 ½ teaspoons sake

Salt and black pepper

Gyoza skins (available from most Asian supermarkets)

¼ cup water

½ teaspoon powdered potato starch (from the same Asian supermarket)

3 ½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Rice vinegar

Soy sauce

Method

1. Mix the vegetables and mushrooms in a bowl with the pork, soy sauce, sesame oil, mirin, sake, salt and pepper.

2. Take a gyoza skin in your hand and place a small ball of the mixture into the middle.

3. Wet your thumb, and run it around the outer edge of half the skin.

4. Fold the skin in half, enclosing the mixture, and crimp the edges with your fingers. The water should stick the two halves together.

5. Heat a teaspoon of the toasted sesame oil in a pan and add the gyoza, leaving space between each. Fry for a few minutes until the bottoms are golden brown.

6. Add ¼ cup of water with the potato starch to the pan, covering immediately. Cook until most of the water has evaporated.

7. Remove the lid and drain off the water. Add another teaspoon of toasted sesame oil to the pan and swill to cover the base of the pan.

8. Cook uncovered for a few minutes, then remove the gyoza with a spatula. Place them golden-brown side down on a plate. The potato starch, water, and oil should form a thin film that connects all the dumplings, which the Japanese call ‘hane’ (feather).

9. Serve with a dipping sauce made of one-part rice vinegar and one-part soy sauce.

We'd love to see your finished creations — tag your Instagram and Twitter posts with #theaudleyway and @audleytravelna