Pan-fried Dumplings (Yaki-Gyoza)

Dumplings:

• 1 lb ground pork (or any protein)
  
• 1 bunch scallion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 knob ginger, minced
• Sea salt and freshly cracked white pepper to taste
• ½ tsp cornstarch
• Splash of white vinegar
• Splash of Shaoxing wine
• Soy sauce to taste
• Glug of sesame oil
  

• Gyoza skins
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Hot water

Dipping Sauce:

• 1 red chili, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 big clove garlic, finely chopped
• Sesame oil
• Soy sauce
• Vinegar
• Hot water

To making the filling, throw meat and the first set of ingredients into a bowl and mix well. It is important that you knead the meat for at least a good 10 minutes so that everything can meld together and result in a springy filling texture when the dumplings are cooked.

To make the dumpling, take a gyoza skin and place a teaspoon of filling in the center. If you are greedy like me, you can put 2 teaspoons and risk dumpling explosion. :) Dip your finger in a bowl of water and moisten the edge. You can simply fold them over to make a half moon or whatever creative shape you have in mind. I made half moon shape with little pleats. What’s important is that you don’t trap the air inside when you seal the dumplings. I like to make all my dumplings at once and freeze the leftovers (uncooked) for later use.

To cook your dumplings, you will need to put a non-stick frying pan over medium to medium-high heat. Drizzle a tiny bit of oil and place the dumplings into the pan, making sure they are not touching each other. Allow the gyozas to fry for a little bit until you see the bottom turn a golden brown. Have the lid ready in one hand and pour about ¼ cup of water into the pan and cover immediately. The oil will splatter if you don't do this quick enough! Lower heat and steam cook dumplings for about 3-4 minutes or until the opaque skin has turned translucent and water has evaporated. At this point, you can optionally raise the heat and allow the dumplings to crisp up a bit before plating.

You can enjoy these dumplings by dipping them in a simple mixture of soy sauce and vinegar, but I like to add chili oil and garlic to my sauce. To make this sauce, all you have to do is fry the chili (fresh or dried) and garlic in some sesame oil. Transfer this oil to a cup and add soy sauce, vinegar and a bit of hot water to dilute it.