Pan Seared Gyoza Recipes

PAN-SEARED GYOZA

Steps:

• Prepare the gyoza dipping sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce and rice vinegar, plus chile oil, if using. Set aside (makes a generous 1/2 cup).
• Finely chop the cabbage or process it in a food processor into confetti-size bits, then transfer it to a sieve set over a large bowl. Toss with 2 teaspoons of the salt and let sit for 20 minutes in the sink. Gently press the cabbage to squeeze out as much water as you can.
• Combine the drained cabbage, pork, ginger, garlic, chives, soy sauce, sesame oil and the remaining 2 teaspoons salt in a large bowl and mix thoroughly just until everything is evenly distributed. (Don't overdo it: Too much handling and the fat in the pork will begin to melt.)
• Here's where you want to employ some extra hands to help you: Fill a small bowl with water. Sprinkle a rimmed sheet pan or two with cornstarch or potato starch to prevent the finished gyoza from sticking. For each gyoza, place a wrapper in the palm of your hand and spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the filling into the center. Use the back of the spoon to smoosh it lightly (it should fill about half the wrapper). You don't want the filling to run to the edges, but you also don't want it sitting in a fat clump in the middle. Dip your finger into the water and run it along the perimeter of one half of the wrapper. Now fold the wet edge of the wrapper over to meet the dry edge. Crimp the edges together at one corner, then proceed around the dumpling, using your finger to push the dough into little pleats on one side and pressing them against the other side to seal it. (If you need more guidance, there are hundreds of gyoza-folding videos online.) Place the gyoza on the sheet pan as you finish them. If your gyoza seem to be sticking to one another, sprinkle each layer of gyozas with potato or cornstarch.
• To pan-fry the gyoza, you will need a lidded 10-inch nonstick pan or a well-seasoned carbon steel pan. (You could also use whatever skillet you have, but increase the oil and keep a close eye on the gyoza.) Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in the pan over medium heat. When hot, add 10 to 15 gyoza, flat-side down, and cook until browned on the bottoms, 2 to 3 minutes. Add enough water to come just under a quarter of the way up the gyoza (about 1/2 cup, depending on how many gyoza you have in the pan), cover, and let the water cook away until the pan is dry and the gyoza wrappers have softened completely, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the lid, increase the heat to medium-high, and let the gyoza crisp up on the bottoms for another minute or two, depending on how crisp you like them. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce and additional chile oil. Wipe the pan clean and cook the remaining gyoza. (Alternately, uncooked gyoza can be frozen on a baking sheet in a single layer until firm and then stored in resealable plastic bags for a couple months. To cook frozen gyoza, add a second batch of water in step 4 after the first batch evaporates.)

PORK GYOZA

Steps:

• Combine ground pork, cabbage, egg, spring onions, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sake, mirin, and ginger in a large bowl; mix well.
• Place approximately 1 to 2 teaspoons of the pork mixture in the center of each gyoza wrapper. Moisten your fingers with water and rub around the edges of each wrapper. Fold wrappers in half over filling, creating a semi circle. Take one side of the wrapper and make crimps along the edges for a decorative pattern (like pleats of a skirt) and press along the edges to seal the two sides together. Ensure there isn't much excess air caught inside the dumpling. Repeat until all the pork mixture is used.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place as many gyoza in the skillet as fit in a single layer and fry until the bottom is browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add water to skillet and reduce heat. Cover and allow gyoza to steam until all the water has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining gyoza.
• Mix rice vinegar and soy sauce together for a dipping sauce and serve with the gyoza.

GYOZA

Steps:

• Mix the ground pork, minced garlic, sugar, cornstarch, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, green onions, and cilantro in a medium bowl.
• Place approximately 1 teaspoon filling on a gyoza wrapper. Moisten edges with water to seal.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Ad 1/2-1/3 of the filled gyoza in a single layer.
• Cook 1 minute or until lightly browned on one side. Add 1/4 cup water to pan.
• Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until all water is absorbed, about 3 minutes.
• Remove gyoza and place on a serving platter, browned side up. Serve with dipping sauce on side.