CHICKEN GYOZA

Eating in Japan was like a dream. In fact, right now I’m sitting at my writing desk in the blistering hot weather of Kuala Lumpur and just daydreaming of walking down the clean streets of the Tokyo suburbs on a chilly evening and popping into a small, random, I-don’t-know-what-the-signboard-is-saying neighbourhood restaurant, sitting down at the bar seat and eating a bowl of rice with grilled freshwater eel (unagi) slathered in sticky, caramelised soy sauce marinade, with a bowl of steaming miso soup with some fresh clams.

What was that? Oh yeah. Anyway.

I like to cook, but I’ve never really tried making anything Japanese (except for some dressed soba noodles). So for a while there I practiced making some simple Japanese grub for starters. My favourite has always been gyoza, or Japanese dumplings. It’s made with a filling of white meat and some veg, and what makes it different than the usual dumplings is that it is lightly pan-fried at the bottom before getting a steam – this gives it a crispy, brown bottom that adds more texture to the whole thing.

This recipe makes almost 2 dozens gyozas.

What You Need:
1 packet gyoza wrappers (at the frozen section of the grocery store)
250 gm minced chicken (I make my own, using chicken breasts)
1 handful cabbage, shredded
1 tsp grated ginger
1tbsp grated garlic
1 tbsp soy sauce
Salt
The dipping sauce – minced garlic, chopped chili, light soy sauce, a dash of vinegar

What You Do:

1. Mix minced chicken, cabbage, ginger, garlic, soy sauce and salt in a bowl. You have to be sure the mix is really well seasoned, otherwise it will be bland (I learned this the hard way)
2. Take the gyoza wrapper out from freezer, it should be thawed for a good 20 mins before use.
3. Put 1 tsp filling in the center of the gyoza wrapper, dip you fingers in some water and wet the edges of the wrapper. Fold it into half-moons.
4. You can crimp the edges to make them look nice, otherwise, who cares? They will still taste great.
5. Put a large pan over medium heat, with 1 tbsp oil. Make sure the surface of the pan is covered with a thin film of oil
6. Place the gyozas snugly in the pan, flat side down. After 2 minutes, check one to see if it has already browned at the bottom.
7. Add some water until the dumpling are covered about 1/3 in water, then put the lid on.
8. Allow to steam until all the water is gone.
9. Transfer to a plate.
10. I recommend eating them with the dipping sauce, or if you want to make a whole meal out of it, with some garlicky fried rice.