This month Cooking with Ma had a delicious Japanese theme. Ma showed me how to make sushi rice, sushi rolls, tofu pockets, some Japanese salads and my grandmother’s gyoza. I think my grandmother, Ma-Ma, would have been proud to see this!
Unfortunately Ma-Ma passed when I was quite young so I only have a few memories of her. My most vivid memory is of my sister and I, as toddlers, sitting at a wooden kiddies table in Ma-Ma’s kitchen, playing with the yellow play-dough she had just made for us. I also remember tall blue hydrangeas in the garden bed at the front of her home.
As an adult, I often wonder what it would be like to know her now and all the amazing things she would tell me about Japan, the culture and her life in Australia. Whenever I visit Japan I wonder what she would think of how much the country has changed since she moved away.
Many different cuisines have their own style of dumpling. In Japan, it’s gyoza.
Gyoza are generally made with pork mince. As an alternative we added a handful of Linda McCartney’s vegemince to the filling. Ma usually makes large quantities as gyoza freezes so well.
So without any further delay, here it is, Ma-Ma’s recipe for gyoza, Japanese dumplings.
Gyoza
Filling
325g Chinese cabbage, finely chopped
300g shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped
Grated ginger
Crushed garlic
Water chestnuts, finely chopped
Lotus root, finely chopped
Spring onions, finely chopped
2 Tbs shoyu (Japanese soy sauce)
1 Tbs cooking sake
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1 egg or egg substitute
50 gyoza or gow gee wrappers (egg free also available)
Vegetable oil
Dipping Sauce
To make your own, mix shoyu with the juice of half a lemon or lime & mix with a little wasabi to taste. Alternatively there are good commercial Japanese dumpling sauces available.
- Mix ingredients well in a bowl. Chill for 30mins.
Place teaspoons of filling into centre of wrappers, moisten one edge & close together with 3 pleats OR use a plastic mould like the one pictured (these cheap gadgets can be found in Asian supermarkets).- Line the completed gyozas on a baking tray. Cover with baking paper between layers so they don’t stick. Cover tray & refrigerate for 30mins.
- An electric frypan is best – lightly coat the base with oil & fry gyoza until golden & crisp.
- Turn gyoza over then quickly pour in about half a cup of water, cover with lid & steam for a few minutes until water has evaporated.
- Serve gyoza hot with dipping sauce.
I really NEED one of those little plastic dumpling presses. Where did your mum get hers? These look fantastic! I have a SERIOUS love of dumplings! Going to have to try these really soon!
She said you can get them at Asian supermarkets and the are really cheap. I’ll keep an eye out, if I find them I’ll get you one!
I totally second that! I’ve never seen wrapping device like that! MUST GET!
Popular little gadgets they are turning out to be! I’m officially on the lookout for them. If I find some I’ll let you know
Hell yeah! Thanks
I adore dumplings!! So quick with that little press as well, thanks for sharing!
You’re very welcome! I was expecting to have to make them by hand – that little gadget made it a lot easier.. and they look so much better than what I could have done!
This was the best Eva !!!!!!
))
It ain’t over yet, I’m still yet to post all the other tasty things we had that day!
Nice! I tried making wantons for dinner tonight but your dumplings look sooo much better than mine! I bet they taste better too!
Ooh wontons are yummy! Are they hard to make? Maybe I should try them next!
Dumpling press acquired, gyoza cooking fest this weekend! Will add a little pork mince to this recipe (husband and kid are sworn carnivores), and will let you know how it turns out.
Oh how exciting! Good luck, can’t wait to hear how it turns out!
The unanimous verdict in this house: “om nom nom!”
Absolutely delicious! I didn’t use quite enough ginger this time, so know to use a bit more in the next batch. Turns out we only had 25 gyoza wrappers in the pack, so stirfried the rest of the filling with rice, and that was gorgeous!
Fantastic, well done! Sounds like it was a delicious success!