administratorIt’s actually hard to pin down a single name for this dish. These are dumplings with a meat filling and ginger, which traveled from China to Japan. There are many versions of Asian dumplings, differing in filling ingredients, dough, and shape. I’ve classified these as Chinese dumplings because of their origin, but the method of preparation is more characteristic of Japanese gyoza. They are very easy to make. Since they are first pan-fried and then steamed, all the flavor stays inside.
Ingredients (makes about 28 large dumplings):
Dough:
- 400 g flour
- about 150 ml lukewarm water
- salt
- Filling:
- 300 g ground pork
- 8 shiitake mushrooms, either dried (soaked in hot water beforehand) or cooked
- 1 bunch of scallions (green part only), thinly sliced
- 1–2 tablespoons grated ginger (to taste)
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons rice wine
- 4 tablespoons oyster sauce
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions:
Make the dough by mixing flour, water, and a pinch of salt, as you would for regular dumplings. Add the water gradually. The dough should be elastic and not stick to your hands. If it’s too stiff or crumbly, add a little water; if it’s too sticky, add some flour.
Finely chop the shiitake mushrooms. Mix all the filling ingredients thoroughly.
Roll the dough as thin as possible on a floured surface. Using a round cutter about 10 cm in diameter (a lid, large glass, or bowl works), cut out circles. Place a heaping spoonful of filling in the center of each circle. Fold the dough in half and pinch the edges together. When joining both sides, create pleats on one side, pressing them onto the smooth part of the dough.
Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Place the dumplings side by side on the hot pan, making sure they do not touch. Fry without turning them. Once the bottoms are golden brown, add about 120 ml of water and cover with a lid for 2 minutes.
Remove the lid and wait until the remaining water evaporates and the bottoms crisp up again. Transfer the cooked dumplings to a plate. Repeat with the remaining dumplings.
Serve hot with your favorite Asian sauces. In my case, I served them with sweet and sour sauce.
