Not exactly "traditional," but whatever
I will never make these again!!!!
Or so I said, over and over, as I stood at my counter, patiently filling small wonton wrappers with an Asian-flavored pork mixture, then clumsily sealing the edges together, finally placing them on a cookie sheet to rest.
Some things should be left to the professionals. And my professional opinion is that gyoza, or potstickers, are a helluva lot of work for this gal.
But I must say…the result was really good. I mean at LEAST as good, if not better, than what you can get at the store. And this way, I know there is little fat in it and all fresh ingredients. I made about a million of these little guys, cooked up a dozen and froze the rest for future lunches and whatnot.
In my opinion, you don’t really need a recipe to make this. Here’s what I did:
Mix together the filling:
1 package ground pork
2 T soy sauce
Handful chopped scallions
3 minced garlic cloves
2 T grated fresh ginger
3 handfuls minced napa cabbage
Pepper, to taste
1 egg, lightly beaten
Take your store-bought gyoza wrappers (I couldn’t find these, so I used wonton wrappers, which didn’t give me that perfect crescent shape), drop a small spoonful of filling in the middle of one wrapper. You’ll learn pretty fast how much is too much filling. You don’t want it to touch the edges in any way.
Dab water on one edge, fold the wrapper over and crimp it together, being sure to get out any air bubbles. Next, and this is important, put it on your cookie sheet to flatten out the bottom.
If you want to freeze, put the whole cookie sheet in the freezer, later transferring the dumplings to plastic bags.
If you want to eat right away: Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add your gyoza, flat side down and heat it to medium. Once they’ve browned on one side, 4-5 min., add in a scant 1/4 c. water – just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan and let them steam until fully cooked, about 8 minutes.
The wrappers will get a little translucent but should hold together.
For a dipping sauce, the sky is the limit! I mixed 1/4 c. soy sauce with a dash of sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, chili flakes, more garlic, pepper and scallions. If you need to, dilute with water.
Sprinkle your cooked gyoza with toasted sesame seeds, dip in the sauce and enjoy! Great for parties or driving yourself crazy.
Seasoned to Taste 