Traditional Japanese pork dumplings

These delicious bite-sized treats are the best for when you’re entertaining a large crowd. These Japanese delicacies, traditionally known as Gyoza, are so perfectly crispy on the outside and deliciously juicy on the inside. Once you try these, you most definitely will never buy from a shop ever again. While they take hardly any time in the kitchen at all, they’re also super fun to whip up as the technique of stuffing and sealing the pastry pockets even becomes a bit therapeutic. Serve these up a pre-dinner snack or on a bed of rice as a light dinner. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 55g (3/4 cup) coarsely chopped green cabbage
• 2 tablespoons water
• 250g pork mince
• 2 shallots, trimmed, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 24 gow gee wrappers
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, extra
• 160ml (2/3 cup) water, extra
• Soy sauce, to serve

Method

1. Heat vegetable oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic. Cook and stir for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add cabbage and water. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes or until the cabbage wilts. Transfer mixture to a bowl. Leave to cool. Add pork, shallot, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. Stir well. Season with salt.
2. Lay 1 wrapper on a clean work surface. Spoon 2 teaspoonfuls of pork mixture in the centre of wrapper. Brush edges with water. Carefully fold over to enclose pork filling. Pinch edges together with fingers. Place on a lined tray. Repeat with remaining wrappers and pork mixture.
3. Heat half the extra vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add half the dumplings to pan for 2 minutes or until bases are golden. Add half the extra water. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. Transfer dumplings to serving platter. Cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining oil, dumpling and water. Serve with a side of soy sauce.