Gyoza

Ahhh, gyoza. This is my Japanese comfort food. I can never go to a Japanese noodle place and not order a side of gyoza to go with it. I helped make these this past weekend. Oh - how I just love gyoza. My fiance's mom taught us how...well, all I really did was "roll" them up. I never really took the time to know how they made the gyoza look so good. The secret is in the pleats. Yes - you have to pleat those tiny little gyoza wrappers! It was crazy - but when you saw the finished product, it was beeeautiful. Below is a random recipe I pulled off the internet. Though the recipe says to "pinch" the wrappers instead of pleat...the rest of it is still good. Don't forget to pleat!

Gyoza - Japanese Potstickers
From Rhonda Parkinson

Serves 8 to 10 (as an appetizer)
INGREDIENTS:

1/2 pound ground pork (1 cup)
3/4 cup shredded Napa cabbage
1 green onion, diced
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot chili oil, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying, or as needed
30 gyoza wrappers, or as needed
PREPARATION:

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the shredded cabbage until it is tender but still crisp. Plunge into ice cold water, remove, and drain thoroughly.

In a medium bowl, combine the ground pork, cooked cabbage, green onion, minced ginger, egg, soy sauce, chili oil and sesame oil.

Lay a gyoza wrapper in front of you. Wet all the edges with water. Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper. Fold the sides up to form a semicircle, and then pinch the edges (and pleat!) to seal. Continue with the rest of the gyoza wrappers until the filling is gone.

To cook, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy frying pan over medium-high to high heat. Add 12 - 15 of the gyoza and cook for 2 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom.

Add 1/2 cup of water to the pan. Cover the dumplings and cook until the water is absorbed (5 to 7 minutes). Repeat with the remainder of the gyoza dumplings.