Japanese Gyoza ( dumpling ) 餃子

Some of my closer friends are aware that I do not appreciate Japanese food. It has ever been so before I knew my husband. Even now, of all cuisine offered on a table before me, Jap food remains last of my choice.


Don't get me wrong, I don't mean that Jap food is not fit for consumption, it just doesn't satisfy my noisy taste buds.


After coming to Japan, I've realized that not all Japanese dishes disappoint me. In fact, I've made some delicious discoveries. =P The Japanese Gyoza ( or Japanese style of dumpling ) is one of them.

Back home in Singapore, I've never liked dumplings as they are mostly deep fried, cooked in soup or steamed. Seared Japanese Gyoza however, brings a new sensation in bite and savour. The seared side is fragrantly cripsy, while the top skin moist and soft to tear. This is one wicked recipe I endeavoured to master at home ( because the restaurants serving gyozas are too stingy with their fillings! )

My husband crowns this homemade gyoza the best he ever had, and I've yet found a worthy rival since the success. =P

It took several trial and errors between a few recipes, I had them customized a little to obtain a satisfied finish. The gyoza should be purely flavoured by ingredients, with an option to relish with sauce aside. Fortified this dish by adding chopped shiitake ( mushroom ), and surely, no restaurants could offer this 'royal touch'. Now that the recipe is well grasped, I'm more than happy to share and hope that you'll find the same delight. However, be warned that the cooking part is slightly technical and requires individual's discretion.

Recipe for Japanese Gyoza and sauce

Required utensil : Flat fry pan ( I'm using a 26' Tefal ), Chinese wok is impossible. Lid to cover fry pan.

Ingredient for Gyoza

Skin for wrapping gyoza, bought mine for 25 pieces a pack. Ingredient stated below should make you around 25 pieces of gyoza, depending on how well you distribute the fillings.

200g minced pork ( other meat should cause a change in taste )

4 pieces of large cabbage leaves

5 tablespoons of chopped spring onion

2 pieces of dried shiitake ( mushroom ), soaked and ready to use

1 tablespoon of grated garlic

1 teaspoon of grated ginger

2 tablespoon of rice wine for cooking

1 tablespoon of sesame oil

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

1 tablespoon of brown sugar or sugar ( brown tastes better )

1 tablespoon of cornstarch

Salt

Pepper

Wheat flour

Sesame oil for searing

Boiling, or hot water ( around 200ml ) for searing 2 batches of gyoza

1. Slice expanded shiitake ( mushroom ) at 8mm thickness or so, then chop into squares.

2. Cut and remove the center stem of cabbage, slice at around 15mm thickness then chop into squares. In a mixing bowl, add 1 teaspoon of salt into cabbage and massage or squish the vegetable, until it has gone soft. The idea is to wrap the leaves into the skin readily and reduce cooking time. See picture to know how the finish should look like. When done, briefly wash the leaves, drain and put aside. Leaves cut into this size gives crunchiness after cooking.

3. In a large mixing bowl, drop in spring onion, shiitake, cabbage leaves with meat placed in the last. Before mixing, drop in grated garlic, ginger, rice wine, sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar ( or sugar ), cornstarch, 1 dash of salt, 2 dash of pepper on meat, and start mixing. Mix well.

4. Prepare a dish of water for sealing gyoza. Use a spoon to scoop filling into skin and wrap, without folds if you are not sure how. It is somewhat like making pleats of a skirt. Dab finger into dish of water and apply on surface you need to seal, the water acts as a fastener.

5. Try to make the gyoza sit upright on a flat surface before cooking. Land gyoza flat on surface, press-push a little and it should sit soon.

6. Sear gyozas in 2 batches to avoid congestion in pan or breaking the gyozas. In a flat pan, drop 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and spread across. Heat up pan at medium heat and start placing gyoza into pan. Make gyozas sit well in straight rows apart, and packed well together in individual rows. ( Japanese style of finish ). See picture below to get the idea. When gyozas are placed, wait for a minute or so to let them sizzle. Pour in around 100ml of boiling or hot water and close lid immediately.

7. Watch and wait for the water in pan to dry up. While waiting, standby 1 teaspoon of wheat flour and 50ml of water, mix well. Once water in fry pan dries up, pour in the wheat flour mixture and cover with lid again. Watch searing, wait for the crisp skin to be formed, and seared to a delicious looking brown. Careful cos they burn easily. Remove from fire when ready, extract gyozas row by row carefully using spatula. They should stick together, for my pictures, I deliberately split them apart. If you are confident that the food doesn't stick to your pan, get a plate bigger than the pan, cover it and invert pan to draw out gyoza easily.

8. Repeat step 6 & 7 for second batch of gyoza.

For sauce to go along with gyoza

Mix 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, a few drops of chilli oil as preferred.

Japanese gyoza isn't heavily flavoured like dumplings in Singapore. It carries a mild sweetness of meat, cabbage and for my version, it is complemented with scent of shiitake. The sauce is perfect for a dish like this. My husband agrees that the shiitake adds a good boost to the taste and texture of fillings.

And the Bear is right, homemade food is undoubtedly the best, because you rule it.

Hope you'll like this first entry of Side dish recipe.

Porky Roll with Spring Green

With Spring's arrival, wider variety of vegetables are showing up in the market, at a less expensive price too. I'm not sure about other seasonal countries, but vegetables sold here during winter can be 3-folds more expensive than summer time! This is largely due to agriculture difficulty, and raising vegetables in conservatory environment makes the produce a little costly.

Asparagus is one of such dear vegetables, and it is the best season to enjoy them now. In Japan, Asparagus is called a ' Spring-time vegetable ', together with bamboo shoots, special cauliflower and etc. The simple Pork Roll that I'm sharing today, wraps asparagus and other ingredients to create a colorful center, with fragrant sauteed skin outside. A very ' Spring-time ' dish, the Japanese would call it.

Recipe ( Porky Roll with Spring Green ) makes 8 rolls

Ingredients

Pork slice of ham's thickness : 8 slices

Asparagus : 3 sticks

Carrot : 1 stick

Cheeze : Use as prefered ( I'm using ' Baby cheeze ' bars here, not sure if it's available elsewhere )

Vegetable oil for saute : 1 tablespoon

Salt and pepper


1. Salt and pepper pork slices and put aside.
2. Cut asparagus, carrot and cheeze into strips of approximately 5 cm length, thickness of carrot and cheeze should be around that of the asparagus.
3. Place 1/2 teaspoon of salt, into water enough to boil carrot and asparagus. Upon boiling, place carrot in and boil for 30 seconds, then place asparagus in to boil. Retreive all at about 50 seconds later. Do not boil for too long. Shower boiled vegetables under running water for 2 seconds and put aside.

Wild Tips : Boiling vegetables in salted water gives vegetables a brightly colored finish. It adds a little saltish flavor to vegetables, and enhances the taste. A cold shower for boiled vegetables removes heat thus retains crunchiness.

4. Spread pork slice across, remove extra fats if prefered. Place asparagus, carrot at one end of the pork slice, then a strip of cheeze on top. Roll the slice across. Complete the rest. Rolls should not fall apart easily.

5. Heat oil in flat pan at medium fire, place rolls into pan with winded end facing down, and saute. Flip rolls to saute different sides and achieve a good looking brown. Do not cook for too long or the meat will be toughened.

Some Japanese families claim that pork dishes are a good source of ' energy replenishment '. Many families consume pork dishes especially after sports day, a great hike out, or after a strenuous day of labor.

For our home... umm... we don't practise this exactly though.

Simply, the cheezy blend of this dish, complete with Spring greens makes my husband happy like a child.

Three-Tier Pork Cutlet ( A surprizingly pleasant mistake! )

OK, I am guilty about this. I refrain from fried food as much as possible, but my overworked husband has been so pressurized these days, I thought making his favourite food should make him feel better. I shall share other non-fried recipes another day.

This invention of mine is actually a result of failed attempt of another recipe. Laughs ;P The rolling portion did not work out well so I decided to pile everything together. Ha ha ... My husband likes it so much that he calls it ' the mistake divine '. Under the crispy crust, oozes melting onion-flavoured cheeze with mushroom and a tinge of Perilla leaves or seaweed. You may like to arrange it anew in your choice. Check out the recipe!

Ingredients ( Makes one cutlet )
3 slices of pork, thickness of ham slice
thin slices of onion ( around1 mm thickness )
1 mushroom, sliced thin ( around 2mm thickness )
1 piece of cheeze
2 Perilla leaves ( Or use 2 pieces of seaweed for Japanese style )
1 egg white
Bread crumbs
Salt
Pepper

• Lightly salt and pepper the pork slices.
• Spread thin slices of onion across a piece of pork slice, followed by the mushroom slices. Tear cheeze into 2 and spread across. See pictures below for details.

• Now, place another slice of pork on top of the stack, with the fats portion facing yourself. See picture below. I think this avoids one-sided fats concentration.

• Fold Perilla leaves into half, spread the 2 folded leaves across. Place the last piece of pork slice across with fats facing away from you and it's done. Cutlet below is finished with seaweed.

• Fasten with toothpicks if you feel that you can't handle the cutlet well.
• Dip in egg white, attach bread crumbs.
• Fry at medium heat until bread crumbs turn into delicious brown.

Frying Tip : If you are using low level of oil, it's better to land the cutlet with cheeze portion facing top, turn it later to fry the reverse. Cheeze tends to ooze out a little after frying, just be careful.

I've made 2 cutlets, one with Perilla leaves, another with seaweed within. My husband loves them both. You may wish to replace with other leaves that carry a unique flavour. It may be a small cutlet, but bear in mind you are consuming 3 slices of pork with that.

A healthy note : Fried food is not a very healthy choice. My family consumes fried food once in a fortnight, if not; longer. Take lots of vegetables and fruit if you must have fried stuff. I shall share some healthier options in days to come. Meanwhile, hope you'd enjoy this humble recipe!