GYOZA / JAPANESE DUMPLINGS

Gyoza are a favourite dish of my husbands'; he asks for them frequently. They require patience and time so I don't make them too often for him (and I don't want him to get too used to them!). My dumplings are nowhere near as expertly folded or presented as what you would receive at a Japanese restaurant, however the way I fold my gyoza is less fiddly and works well for me! Ps please note that wonton wrappers are not gluten-free and that different wonton pastry are different sizes. I prefer to buy wonton pastry from an Asian supermarket, as they are bigger than some of the pastry for sale at the supermarket. If buying pastry from the supermarket you may need to reduce the amount of mince mixture in each gyoza by 1 teaspoon. 

INGREDIENTS

Gyoza

• 500g lean pork, beef or chicken mince
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2-3 cm fresh ginger, grated
• 2 small carrots or 1 large, grated
• 1 cup wombok (chinese cabbage), finely shredded
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce 
• 1 egg, preferably free range, yolk & white separated
• 1 x 330g packet of wonton pastry 
• pastry brush
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 

COOKING

1. Place the mince, onion, garlic, ginger, carrot, wombok, soy sauce  and the yolk of the egg in a large bowl. Stir well to combine. 

2. Place the wonton wrappers on a clean surface. (If you are working with wrappers that have been in the freezer and are thawing, cover the wrappers with a damp tea-towel so they do not dry out). Place 2 teaspoons of the mince mixture in the centre of each wrapper. Brush the edges with egg white and fold over to close. You can pleat the edges of the wrapper with your fingers to seal or you can do as I like to do and fold the edges over each other, overlapping the edges and making a kind of rectangle. Repeat this process until all wrappers have been used or until the filling has run out. (If you end up with extra filling, roll the mince into balls and make meatballs!). 

3. Bring a large frying pan or saucepan with around 5cm of water to the boil. Once boiled, add as many gyoza as will fit without overcrowding. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover, cooking for 3 minutes. Remove the gyoza from the pan and continue this process until all gyoza is cooked. Remove the water from the pan and dry. 

4. Heat the olive oil in the same pan and swirl to coat. Cook the gyoza on just one side, for 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Place the fried gyoza on paper towel to absorb the oil and continue this process until all gyoza are lightly fried. 

Serve alone or alongside a dipping sauce; I often eat these as is as they are so delicious! 

Serves / 4 as a main / 8 as an entree 
Total Preparation time / 30 - 40 minutes 
Total Cooking time / around 20 minutes

x Emily 

PRAWN & CHIVE DUMPLINGS

Last week my fiancée very nicely asked me when we were going to have gyoza or dumplings again. Unbeknownst to him, I had already stocked up on gow gee wrappers and prawns for a recipe in the not to distant future. I love eating dumplings out at sushi trains, however I find myself getting a little frustrated at the rising price: $6 or $7 for 2-3 dumplings! Of course mine are nowhere near as expertly folded or presented, but practice makes…an average dumpling maker. If you are a big fan of ginger, add in 1 or 2 grated tablespoons to the prawn filling. Serve immediately after steaming or they will wilt and become soggy. Ps please note that gow gee wrappers are not gluten-free.

INGREDIENTS

Dipping sauce 

• 1 teaspoon fresh chives, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar 
• 2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce

Dumplings

• 500g prawns, heads & tails removed and peeled, roughly chopped
• 1 small handful fresh chives, finely chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger, packed tightly 
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon mirin (or mirin seasoning)
• 1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
• 30-34 gow gee wrappers
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten 

PREPARATION / COOKING 

1. Mix prawns, chives, ginger, vinegar, mirin, soy sauce and sesame seeds in a medium to large bowl. Stir well to combine. 

2. Make the dipping sauce by stirring the three ingredients in a small bowl. 

3. Place gow gee wrappers on a clean surface. (If you are working with wrappers that have been in the freezer and are thawing, place the wrappers under a damp tea-towel so they do not dry out). Place 1-2 teaspoons of the prawn mixture in the centre of each wrapper. Brush all the edges with egg white and fold over to close. Pleat the edges of the wrapper with your fingers to seal well. Repeat this process until all wrappers have been used or until the filling has run out. 

4. Bring a small to medium saucepan of water to the boil. (If you have a steamer, line it with baking paper and place it on top of the saucepan. If you do not have a steamer, you can use a colander like I do, but just make sure you place 2 sheets of baking paper over the colander and lightly coat with oil so the dumplings do not stick). Working in batches of no more than 5, steam dumplings (with the saucepan lid over the top of the colander or the fitted lid over the top of the steamer) for 4-5 minutes or until dumplings are transparent and until the prawn meat is pink. Serve dumplings straight away with the dipping sauce. 

Makes / 30 - 34
Total Preparation time / 45 minutes 
Total Cooking time / 30-35 minutes 

x Emily