Gyoza

Makes 25 pieces
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

FOR THE FILLING

• 4 cups cabbage, minced
• ½ cup leeks (green part only) or green onions, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
• 300 grams ground pork
• Pepper, to season
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce (we used Kikkoman)
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• ½ tablespoon sake
• ½ tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

• 25 round dumpling or wonton wrappers
• Canola oil for frying

Procedure
1. Make the filling: Combine cabbage, leeks, garlic, and ginger in a medium bowl. Add salt; let mixture stand for 5 to 8 minutes. Press water out of cabbage pieces.

2. Combine cabbage mixture and ground pork in a bowl. Add salt, pepper, soy sauce, mirin, sake, sesame oil, and cornstarch. Mix very well.

3. Make the gyoza: Have a small bowl of cold water ready. Lay a wrapper on a dry work surface. Place a heaping teaspoon of meat mixture in the center of the wrapper. Moisten one finger with water, then trace a line along half of the edge of the round wrapper. Fold wrapper over to enclose filling; pinch the two wrapper edges together in the middle to seal dumpling. Holding the filled half-circle with your left hand, pleat the top of the wrapper from the middle out, pressing it to the flat edge of the wrapper at the back. Set aside the stuffed dumpling with the pleated edge up. Repeat to make 25 dumplings. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

4. Fry gyoza in a little bit of hot oil until the bottoms have lightly browned. Add water so that the dumplings are submerged in water that's about ¼ of their height. Cover the pan.

5. Keep heat on high and wait until all the water has evaporated. Remove gyoza from the pan and transfer to a serving platter. Serve gyoza with the prepared dipping sauce (see tip).