Dumplings (Gyoza) Recipe

Difficulty: Medium

Makes 30-40 dumplings.

Ingredients

Dough:

• 378g all-purpose flour
• 255g boiling water
• 2g kosher salt

Filling:

• 0.5 lb (227g) ground pork
• 2 cabbage leaves, finely chopped
• 1-inch knob ginger, grated
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 4g fine sea salt
• 1.5g granulated sugar
• 7g soy sauce
• 2g sesame oil

Directions

Dough:

1. Mix the flour and salt.
2. Add the boiling water and stir with a spoon until shaggy clumps form and the water is absorbed.
3. Knead the dough in the bowl until it comes together into a ball.
4. Knead on a board until smooth.
5. Wrap it in plastic and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature.

Wrappers:

1. Push your finger through the middle of the dough and stretch it into a doughnut shape. About 1" to 1.5" thick.

2. Cut off a small piece of dough and make it into a ball (about 12g). Cover the main piece of dough while working.

3. Squish the ball into a disk.

4. Start from the outside and roll about 75% through then roll back. Pull up the dough, turn it about 90 degrees, and roll again.

   A lot of flour will be needed to minimize sticking (flour your rolling pin too not just the surface). A bench scraper helps a lot with not damaging the dough when pulling it up.

   The wrappers should be thin enough to slightly see though. Aim for 3-4" diameter (if you roll them too big, a circle cookie cutter can help cut them to size).

5. Put the wrapper on a sheet tray lightly covered with plastic wrap.

Filling:

1. Chop up the cabbage very finely, generously sprinkle kosher salt on it, mix the salt around, and let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
2. Squeeze the moisture out of the cabbage. One way this can be done is by pressing it into a towel.
3. Place the ground pork, cabbage, ginger (freshly grated), garlic, green onions, salt, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil in a mixing bowl.
4. Mix everything with your hands, knead it until everything is incorporated and homogenized.

Assembly:

1. Line up the dumpling wrappers on a baking sheet.
2. Add one heaping teaspoon of meat into the center.
3. Very lightly brush the perimeter with water. (Not required for freshly made wrappers)
4. Close it like a taco pinching the top of the taco together.
5. Crimp/fold and pinch the dough a few times along the top edge to seal.

Steaming Method:

1. Place a steamer basket over a shallow simmering pot of water, add some cabbage leaves to the bottom of the steamer, so the dumplings do not stick to the basket.
2. Fit as many dumplings in one layer and cook them for eight minutes. Remove the top and drizzle some sesame oil. (optional)

Pan-fried method:

1. In a 12-inch non-stick pan, add enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom in a thin layer and set it up on medium heat.
2. Add your dumplings. Place as many as you can without overlapping, and let them cook for two to three minutes or until the bottom turns golden brown.
3. Add 1/4 cup of water, immediately cover with a lid, and let them steam for three minutes.
4. Remove the lid and let the remaining water evaporate.