PORK GYOZA

Japanese Pork Dumplings

Yield: 30 to 35 pieces

Time: 2 hours, up to 4 with resting

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Pan-fried dumplings with crispy golden edges and a soft, juicy filling of gingery pork, cabbage, and scallions. My favorite way to eat this Japanese snack or side dish is dipped in a homemade ponzu sauce.

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Ingredients

WRAPPERS

200g all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1 tsp salt
100g boiling water

 

CABBAGE AND PORK FILLING

1 lb ground pork
1-inch knob fresh ginger
3–4 garlic cloves
1 small bunch scallions (or Chinese chives)
1 tbsp sake
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp white pepper
450g Napa cabbage (roughly ¼ head) 

Plus black vinegar, soy sauce, and black pepper to serve

Instructions

WRAPPERS

1. Combine the flour and the salt. Add the boiling water and mix with a spoon. 

2. When the dough is cool enough to handle, knead until the flour is incorporated. (Depending on your flour, it may need an extra few tablespoons of water to come together.) Some dry spots are okay. Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.

3. Knead a second time, until the dough forms a smooth ball.

4. Divide the dough in half and roll into two 12-inch logs. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour, or up to 4 hours.

5. Flour your work surface. With a knife or bench scraper, cut the logs into 15–17 pieces each, for a total of 30–35 pieces. 

6.  Roll each piece into a ball, and then flatten into thin round wrappers using a rolling pin. Continually dust your work space and wrappers with flour to avoid sticking. Stack  the wrappers, dusting generously with flour between each layer. Cover with plastic and set aside.

FILLING

1. Mince the cabbage. In a bowl, add 2 tsp salt to the cabbage and massage thoroughly to release excess water. Set aside in a strainer to drain more water.

2. Peel the ginger and garlic and finely mince together. Clean and mince the scallion or Chinese chive. 

3. Return to the cabbage. Squeeze and discard remaining liquid.

4. In a large bowl, combine the pork, ginger, garlic, drained cabbage, scallions, sake, fish sauce, sugar, and black and white pepper. 

5. Thoroughly mix, then knead with your hands for about 2 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 20–30 minutes.

SHAPE AND COOK

1. Place 1–2 teaspoons of filling in each wrapper. Wet the wrapper edges with water and fold over to make a tight seal.

2. Heat a skillet on high. Turn down to medium and add 1–2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Fry gyoza until at least one side is golden brown. 

3. Pour ¼ cup of water into the pan. Immediately cover and lower heat. Let cook 5–6 minutes, until the water has evaporated and the filling is cooked. Optional: Add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil as the gyoza finish cooking uncovered. 

5. Remove from heat and serve with ponzu, or a mix of black vinegar, black pepper, and a splash pf soy sauce.

Recipe by Sachi Nagase

“My dad would often make a quick lunch of frozen store-bought gyoza for me and my sister. He taught us how to fry them perfectly—how to let the gyoza brown just enough before adding water, and then throw the lid on to avoid getting splashed with oil. We loved eating them with a savory dashi ponzu sauce. Gyoza are similar to Korean mandu, but a few subtleties differentiate them. While mandu might have mung bean noodles, and can be fried, steamed, or eaten in soup, gyoza are derived from the Chinese jiaozi, and are most often pan-fried, filled with pork and cabbage.” Editor’s note: Use the same dough to make tofu mandu.

SACHI NAGASE is a cook, baker, and barista who spent a year cooking in Bay Area restaurants (in both savory and pastry) while running a cake business. Nagase and collaborator Katie Yun are the co-founders of both/&, an art collective turned cooking practice celebrating the Japanese and Korean cuisine of their childhoods. These days, Nagase can be found practicing roller skating and perfecting her homemade yogurt.

May 29, 2020. Video by Sachi Nagase.

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