Asian

Hot Thai Kitchen Gyoza

Meat Fill Ingredients

1. White peppercorns (black is okay too)
2. Garlic
3. Ginger
4. Napa cabbage
5. Salt
6. Ground pork (preferably not lean)
7. Toasted sesame oil
8. Soy sauce
9. Dashi powder (optional but highly recommended; if not using add 1 tsp more soy sauce)
10. Sugar
11. Tapioca starch or cornstarch
12. Garlic chives or green onions
13. Dumpling wrappers, store bought

Sauce

1. Rice vinegar
2. Soy sauce
3. Sugar (optional, but Thai people like to add this to lessen the sharpness of the vinegar)
4. A little drizzle of rayu (Japanese chili garlic oil, optional but highly recommend!) You can also use another chili oil of your choice.

Instructions

1. Pound the garlic, white peppercorns, and ginger into a paste.
2. Separate the stems from the leaves of napa cabbage.
3. Finely dice the stems.
4. Chop the leaves into ribbons.
5. Saute the herb paste until aromatic, then add the napa cabbage stems.
6. Cook until the stems are soft and looks like a thick paste.
7. Add the napa cabbage leaves and cook until the leaves are wilted and the mixture is mostly dry.
8. Combine all of the seasonings, starch and the pork.
9. Knead well until the mixture looks like a fine paste.
10. Add the cooled cabbage mixture and the garlic chives.
11. Mix gently until well combined.

Prep

1. Wet the edges of the dumpling wrapper and fill with about a tablespoon of filling.
2. Pleat the dumplings if you wish, or keep them unpleated. (See video tutorial for how to pleat dumplings.) You can freeze them at this point.

Cooking

1. Pan fry the dumplings in oil in a skillet until the bottoms are golden brown.
2. Add some water to the pan to create steam.
3. Close the lid and steam the dumplings for 3-5 minutes. Then open the lid and allow excess moisture to evaporate.
4. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.