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Goodness Gracious: Gyoza!
September 30, 2005
INT. CARYN'S APARTMENT--EVENING
Caryn and Winnie sit on pillows on the floor around the coffee table. Armed with a fancy set of chopsticks, each girl is devouring her own plate of tender dumplings stuffed as full as they can get.
CARYN
I never understand why people take the time to make perfect pleats on these things. Who looks at the pleats?
WINNIE
No time to examine them on the way to my mouth.
Caryn dips the last dumpling in the dark sauce and finishes it off. Winnie sets down her chopsticks.
WINNIE (CONT'D)
Still no sign of him?
CARYN
No. I'm getting bored. Maybe it's time to look for another job.
Winnie laughs.
WINNIE
There's no pleasing you, is there? Either you're overworked and wanting to quit, or you're bored...and wanting to quit. I can't keep up.
Caryn starts to clear the table.
CARYN
All I know is that celebrities are weird. Who can keep up with them?
She plops her hands on her hips.
CARYN (CONT'D)
Maybe I'll go to law school and become a lawyer like you. That seems interesting.
Winnie snickers at the thought.
WINNIE
Enough shop talk.
She gets up and follows Caryn into the kitchen.
WINNIE (CONT'D)
Got any mochi?
This is a fairly traditional recipe for gyoza. You can substitute half the pork with an equal amount of minced, raw shrimp. Or chicken. Or use all vegetables. The mix is easy. The folding and pleating is the labor-intensive part.
5 oz. Napa cabbage, finely shredded
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 lb. ground pork
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
2 green onions, green and white parts, chopped
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 TB. soy sauce
2 tsp. rice wine
1 TB. sesame oil
40 round gyoza skins
4 TB. vegetable oil, divided
1 cup chicken stock, divided
Dipping sauce:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
splash of sesame oil
1. Salt cabbage in a collander over a large bowl. Toss to combine. Set aside for 20 minutes.
2. Combine pork through sesame oil with hands in a large bowl. Squeeze excess water from cabbage. Add cabbage to pork mixture and stir until well-combined.
3. Place a rounded teaspoon of pork mixture in the center of the gyoza skin. Wet the edges of the skin with water on your fingertip. Fold in half to form a semi-circle. Make pleats along the edges, squeezing tight to seal and tapping the bottom on the work surface to flatten. Set aside and repeat with remaining skins.
4. Heat 1 TB. of oil in wok or large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Place about ten gyozas in wok and pan fry until bottoms are golden brown, about 2 minutes.
5. Pour 1/4 cup stock into wok and cover with lid to steam gyozas until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove from wok and set aside.
6. Heat another TB. of oil in wok. Repeat process with another ten dumplings until all are cooked. Serve hot with dipping sauce.
Posted by Caryn at September 30, 2005 09:46 AM | Printable Version | Recipe Only
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Comments
Wow! I'm IMPRESSED! I've sat and watched women in Little Tokyo pleat them puppies with their lightening fingers but I never, NEVER even *considered* making any.
I might head downtown to get some though after looking at that gorgeous food porn. ;>
Posted by: Rainey at September 30, 2005 10:13 AM
OMG, Caryn, you put up a recipe I have been looking for! Thank you! It sounds perfect! Now with the dipping sauce, does the sesame oil give it a little spice? I have had some dipping sauce that was nice and spicy.
Posted by: leannwoo at September 30, 2005 10:17 AM
Yum. But I know that Caryn isn't going to quit. She just needs something that smells so good, Mr. R. *has* to come down to the kitchen.
Posted by: Nic at September 30, 2005 12:04 PM
Rainey, there's a great dumpling house in San Gabriel that is wonderful! I wish I could remember the name. I love watching the guys there make the dumplings. My next quest is to learn how to make my own wrappers.
Leanwoo, no, the sesame oil doesn't spice it up. Use chili oil instead for a little kick. I've also used fresh, minced thai chilis to pack a little heat.
Posted by: caryn at September 30, 2005 12:04 PM
I wish I could eat one of those right now through the computer! Yum! Thanks for the recipe!
Posted by: Beth at September 30, 2005 02:57 PM
Beautiful, Caryn! I love making gyoza - after you've made enough of them, you can do the folding and pleating almost mechanically while your mind wanders, I find. They also freeze beautifully - you just reverse the order of steaming and pan-frying. Oh, I think I know what I'm having for dinner tonight...
Posted by: Dawna at September 30, 2005 03:14 PM
Caryn, I think you're thinking of Din Tai Fung dumpling house. It is delicious, but that Taiwanese joint is unlikely to call its treats gyoza, which I believe is a Japanese term. Be sure to visit with your best-looking friend.
Posted by: matthew at October 1, 2005 12:20 AM
Beautiful photo! They look remarkable.
Posted by: Kristin at October 3, 2005 08:49 AM
Wow, your photos are always lovely, but I think this one is my favorite so far. Gorgeous!
Posted by: gemma at October 10, 2005 03:03 AM
The photos on your blog look lipsmaking delicious. Too bad, I am a pure vegetarian.
Though enjoyed reading your blog.
Thanks
Posted by: Ravi at October 11, 2005 10:49 PM
That is a gorgeous photo!
Posted by: brandon ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.deliciousdelicious.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at October 12, 2005 06:09 AM
Caryn, your gyoza looks irresistible (and you've made me homesick...)!
Posted by: keiko at October 16, 2005 10:50 PM
hi caryn, beautiful photo. this recipe is similar to my chinese dumplings but you've made them look great with the crimping on top. nice blog! i'll be visiting your blog more and more.
http://eatdrinknbmerry.blogspot.com/2005/08/dumplings-bite-sized-gifts.html
Posted by: Dylan at November 29, 2005 12:13 PM
Hi Caryn,
It's a nice photo. I love gyoza too, but I used to have without pork.
Posted by: Pepy at October 15, 2006 12:17 AM
I like the pictures of the food. They looked yummy!
Posted by: steph at April 29, 2009 02:54 PM
Hi Caryn, I liked the pictures of the food. They looked yummy. I wish that i could have some of it. Was it good? I bet it was.
Posted by: steph at April 29, 2009 03:03 PM