Japanese Pork Gyoza (Dumplings)

Ingredients

• For the wrappers: 250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• For the wrappers: 1/4 tsp fine salt
• For the wrappers: 130ml boiling water
• For the filling: 300g pork mince
• For the filling: 150g Chinese leaf, very finely chopped
• For the filling: 1/2 tsp salt, for the Chinese leaf
• For the filling: 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• For the filling: 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• For the filling: 2cm fresh root ginger, finely grated
• For the filling: 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• For the filling: 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• For the filling: 1 tbsp cornflour
• For cooking: 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• For cooking: 100ml water
• For the dipping sauce: 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• For the dipping sauce: 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• For the dipping sauce: 1/2 tsp chilli oil, optional

Method

1. For the wrappers, mix the flour and salt in a bowl, add the boiling water and stir with chopsticks until clumpy. Knead for 5 to 8 minutes until smooth, then cover and rest for 30 minutes.

2. Toss the Chinese leaf with the 1/2 tsp salt and leave for 10 minutes, then squeeze out as much water as you can. Mix with the pork, spring onions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and cornflour until sticky.

3. Roll the dough into a log and cut into 30 pieces. Roll each into a thin 8cm circle on a floured surface, keeping the rest covered.

4. Put 1 heaped tsp of filling in the centre of each circle, dampen the edge, fold in half and pinch, making 4 or 5 small pleats along one side. Stand the dumplings on a floured tray.

5. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan with a lid over a medium-high heat. Arrange half the gyoza flat-side down and fry for 2 minutes until golden underneath.

6. Pour in 50ml of the water, cover immediately and steam for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the water has evaporated and the base is crisp. Repeat with the remaining oil, gyoza and water.

7. Mix the dipping sauce ingredients and serve with the hot gyoza.