Gyoza (Japanese Potstickers)

A friend of mine who stayed in Japan for several years was the one who taught me to make Gyoza. Though it is said to have originated in China, it was introduced to Japan in the late 17th century. It can be prepared in advance and stored in the freezer for several days, even weeks, good for those times when you are lazy to cook...just thaw it and depending on what you want, it can be steamed, fried or fried and steamed.

This is a recipe which kids will like even if it is loaded with veggies such as napa cabbage, cabbage and chives (depending on what you like or what is available in your ref) because the meat overpowers the taste of the veggies. There are a lot of variations on the ingredients in recipe books but my version was based on what was available in my ref. In fact, the red specks you see on the picture are ground beef...i got carried away with my salt that it tasted salty when i fried a little to taste it, so i added ground beef because i had no more ground pork. The lesson on dumplings and burgers......tasting is a must or you will end up with a batch of too salty or too bland product.

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The napa cabbage and chives were first blanched so that it would wilt a little, thus, it is easier to handle when you start putting the filling in the wrapper. It is important to note that the veggies should be drained well so as not to have a watery filling. The ratio of the meat to the veggies would really depend on your preference. In my version, i used 1 medium-sized napa cabbage and 5 stalks of chives to a kilo of ground pork. I added 1/4 kg of ground beef to adjust the saltiness...There is no wrong or right proportion so do as you like!

Gyoza

1 kg of ground pork

1/4 kg of ground beef

1 medium -sized napa cabbage (blanched, and chopped)

5 stalks of chives (blanched and chopped)

gyoza wrapper

3 tablespoons of soy sauce

1 teaspoon of salt (adjust according to your taste)

2 tablespoons of sesame oil

1. Mix all the ingredients together.

2. Get a a spoonful and fry it, remember, you don't want a kilo of filling tasting

bland or salty.

3. Put the filling in the wrapper. Have a bowl of water beside you to

moisten the sides of the wrapper in order to sela it properly.

4. Fold the edges while closing

4. Fry, steam, boil or fry then steam the gyoza.

Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup vinegar

a pinch of sugar

a pinch of chili flakes(if you want it hot)

Just mix everything together.