Pork and Cabbage Gyoza

Name: Pork and Cabbage Gyoza
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: Japan
Ingredients: 250 g (9 oz) Napa or pointed cabbage, finely chopped; 4 g (⅔ tsp) fine sea salt, for the cabbage; 300 g (10½ oz) ground pork, not too lean; 3 scallions, finely chopped; 2 cloves garlic, grated; 15 g (½ in piece) fresh ginger, grated; 1 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or sake; 2 tsp toasted sesame oil; 1 tsp sugar; ¼ tsp ground white pepper; 30 round gyoza wrappers, about 9 cm (3½ in); 3 tbsp neutral oil, divided; 150 ml (⅔ cup) water, divided; 3 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp rice vinegar; 1 tsp Chili Crisp or chili oil

Crisp-bottomed, juicy dumplings, fried and steamed in one pan

Makes: about 30 dumplings
Hands-on: 50 min
Total: 1 h 15 min
Level: Some skill

Gyoza are cooked by a clever method: fried until the bottoms are golden, then steamed under a lid with a splash of water, then fried again until crisp. Salting the cabbage and kneading the filling until sticky keeps the inside juicy and springy.

Ingredients

Filling

250 gNapa or pointed cabbage (9 oz)finely chopped
4 gfine sea salt (⅔ tsp)for the cabbage
300 gground pork (10½ oz)not too lean
3scallionsfinely chopped
2 clovesgarlicgrated
15 gfresh ginger (½ in piece)grated
1 tbspsoy sauce
1 tbspShaoxing rice wine or sake
2 tsptoasted sesame oil
1 tspsugar
¼ tspground white pepper

Wrapping and cooking

30round gyoza wrappersabout 9 cm (3½ in)
3 tbspneutral oildivided
150 mlwater (⅔ cup)divided

Dipping sauce

3 tbspsoy sauce
2 tbsprice vinegar
1 tspChili Crisp or chili oil

Diet: Dairy-free
Allergens: gluten, soy, sesame, sulphites
Origin: Japan (from Chinese jiaozi)

Method

Toss the cabbage with the salt and leave 15 minutes. Squeeze hard in a clean towel to remove as much liquid as possible. 15 min
Put the pork, cabbage and the rest of the filling ingredients in a bowl and mix vigorously with your hand in one direction for 1–2 minutes, until sticky and paste-like.
Mix the dipping sauce ingredients.
Hold a wrapper in your palm and put a heaped teaspoon of filling in the center. Wet the edge halfway round with water. Fold in half and pinch the top center closed, then make 4–5 small pleats (small folds) along the front edge, pressing each against the flat back. Set on a floured tray, flat side down. Keep finished gyoza covered. 25 min
Heat 1½ tbsp oil in a large non-stick frying pan with a lid over medium-high heat. Arrange half the gyoza flat side down in a single layer, just touching. Fry until the bottoms are golden, 2 minutes. 2 min
Pour in 75 ml (⅓ cup) water — it will spit — and cover immediately. Steam until the water has almost evaporated and the wrappers are translucent, 4–5 minutes. The filling should reach 71°C (160°F). 5 min
Uncover and cook until the remaining water is gone and the bottoms are crisp again, 1–2 minutes. Loosen with a spatula and slide out, crisp side up. Repeat with the rest. 2 min
Serve hot with the dipping sauce.

Why it works

Salt pulls water out of the cabbage, which would otherwise leak and make the wrappers soggy. Mixing the meat hard with salt and soy makes its proteins sticky, so the filling holds its juices like a small sausage. The fry-steam-fry method cooks the filling through with steam while giving a crisp, browned base.

Common mistakes

Overfilling: they burst. A heaped teaspoon is enough.
Using a pan without a lid: you need steam to cook the top of the wrappers.

Variations

Vegetable gyoza: Replace the pork with 200 g finely chopped shiitake and 150 g firm tofu, crumbled, sautéed until dry.
Lace skirt: Mix 1 tsp flour into the steaming water for a crisp, lacy crust joining the dumplings.