Gyoza

Name: Gyoza
Yield: makes 40 to 44 pieces, serves 8
Ingredients: 6 ounces pork belly; 10 ounces ground pork (I prefer ground pork loin); 2 teaspoons dry mustard powder; 2 teaspoons water; 2 teaspoons Japanese soy sauce; 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar; 1 teaspoon sugar; 2 tablespoons salt; 8 ounces bean sprouts; 1/2 cup Japanese soy sauce; 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar; 1 teaspoon hot chili oil; 2 teaspoons sugar; 7 leaves cabbage; 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt; 1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled; 1/4 cup chicken stock; 2 tablespoons sake; 3 tablespoons Japanese soy sauce; 2 tablespoons sesame oil; 1/2 cup minced garlic chives (discard bottom inch); 1/4 cup minced scallions, both white and green parts; 1/2 teaspoon grated garlic (2 cloves); 1/2 tablespoon sugar; Pinch of freshly ground black pepper; 1 (10-ounce) package gyoza skins (about 50 skins; I prefer Japanese gyoza skins, but you can use Chinese varieties if necessary); 1 to 1 1/4 cups water; 1/3 to 1/2 cup vegetable oil

December 9, 2011

The funny thing about gyoza is that I never cooked them—until I moved to America. Back home I always went out for these extremely popular, garlic-infused pan-fried dumplings, which have a special place in the hearts of Japanese. When I arrived in America, gyoza was one of the comfort foods I missed the most, so I started cooking them at home. That’s when I realized how easy it is to prepare perfect gyoza: they simply need a fragrant, juicy, flavor-packed filling; crispy skin on the bottom and silky skin on top; and a spicy dipping sauce. Now my kids and I love to make homemade gyoza together. This recipe is the classic pork-filled version that I grew up with. Keep in mind that you can conveniently freeze uncooked gyoza for up to a month. To prepare, follow the fry-steam technique below with the frozen dumplings—no need to defrost. Just extend the cooking time by 3 minutes. Note: You can also prepare this dish without pork belly. Just substitute more ground pork (1 pound total). But I love using pork belly here because it adds so much flavor and richness to the gyoza.

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