Gyoza (Potstickers)

Just look at these perfect little pork dumplings. Zack and I made gyoza or pot stickers for dinner last night. It is a laborious process but worth it if you make a lot at one time. That way you can have some for dinner and freeze the rest for a convenient snack or appetizer for later.

You just need ground pork and a head of cabbage with some chopped/minced scallions, garlic and ginger. After boiling, squeezing the water out, and chopping the cabbage, mix all of these ingredients together and add sesame oil and soy sauce. Then comes actually making the gyoza using "gyoza" wrap that can be found in almost any grocery store. I have fond memories growing up of helping my mom fold hundreds of these little dumplings.

To cook them, it's a two-step process: (1) pan-frying and (2) steaming. Here's the trick to getting it right: first, heat some oil in skillet on high heat. Then, lower the heat to medium and immediately begin placing the gyoza in the skillet "flat side" down. When a golden brown crust has formed on the bottom of the gyoza, add water to the pan just so that the gyoza is only half immersed in water and cover immediately. Increase the heat to high to boil the water. When most of the liquid has evaporated, uncover and lower the heat back to medium. Let the water completely evaporate until a nice crispy skin forms under the gyoza. Serve and enjoy with soy sauce and raayu (chili oil).