Gyoza

We’ve loved Gyoza, or pot sticker dumplings, since we first tried them.

We make a regular trip to Wagamama’s or Yo Sushi! for a fix.

After a visit to the chinese supermarket in Derby with Apryl of Meridian Ariel we finally had some dumpling wrappers so I set about making them myself.

I was a bit nervous as I usually find oriental cooking quite stressful but once I got into the swing of these they were actually quite easy and I am definitely going to make them again.

I used the recipe from the “Wagamama – Ways With Noodles” book. I like the way that all the ingredients get wanged in a bowl together, so you don’t have to keep referring back to what goes in when. I just missed out the mushrooms, because Ed thinks they are shifty.

We had a bit of trouble mincing the chicken with my antique mincer, but we battled on through.

Then it’s just a spoonful of mixture into each dumpling wrapper, a smear of water round the edge, then fold them in half and crimp them together however you fancy.

Excuse the ropey picture, I had sticky fingers.

At first the cooking process sounds odd but I understand the logic now. It’s a quick fry either side, then 3 tablespoons of water go in and you put on the lid to steam them through for a few minutes. They are then supposed to sit warming through for a few minutes more but I transferred them to a baking tray in a warm oven for this bit so I could get the next batch on the go.

I made a bit of a dipping sauce with soy, sesame oil and chilli and they were deemed ‘delicious’ by all who ate them (us 3).

We ate all 28 of them.

I will definitely be making them again.

Soon.

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Ingredients

These are edited down to what I had in the cupboard when I made them. By the way – now when I make them I just put everything into the Magimix, leaving the chinese leaves until last so that they stay shredded not pulped.

• 200g minced raw chicken breast
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 2 good teaspoons of grated fresh ginger (I used the stuff out of a jar)
• 100g Chinese leaves finely slices (about a 1/4 of one)
• 1 tablespoon Soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons chopped spring onion
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon of chopped chilli
• 1 tablespoon nam pla – Fish Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
• 100g of chopped water chestnuts (I used half a small tin of mixed water chestnuts and bamboo shoots)
• Salt and pepper
• Wanton skins – it says 60 in the recipe but I made about 30. Perhaps I overfilled them. I get these frozen from the chinese supermarket.

Printable recipe here