Gyoza dumplings

I can't believe it's Saturday already!  How did that happen?  And I can believe even less how quickly summer has turned into autumn here!  I even have to put the lights on when I get up in the morning which is a sure sign that we are moving into the latter part of the year.  Mind you, I love all the seasons for different reasons (quite the poet today :-)) - now I'm looking forward to wooly jumpers and eating stews by the fireplace.

Before I get to more winter warmers though, I should write about the gyoza dumplings we had recently.  Now, if you can lay your hands on some ready-made wonton wrappers, these will be done sooo quickly and easily.  Stuffed with minced chicken, ginger, spices etc they are finger-licking good with a simple dipping sauce  - you could also fill them with crab meat, veggie mince or tofu.  I believe that traditionally they are fried on one side and then steamed but we actually preferred them fried on both sides - it made them nice and crispy on the outside yet soft in the middle.

I couldn't get any wonton wrappers, so made the dough from scratch - it was worth it though, especially since I made enough to pop some leftover gyozas in the freezer for another time.  In fact, I think we'll have those tomorrow :-)

Gyoza dumplings (makes 20)

Ingredients:

For the gyoza skins (if you are not using ready-made wonton wrappers)

150g strong white flour plus extra for rolling
a little salt

100ml boiling water

half a tbsp oil for frying

half a tbsp sesame oil

For the filling

350g pork or chicken mince

2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, grated

3 garlic cloves, peeled, grated

½ tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp chopped spring onion (green part only)

½ tsp ground chilli flakes

1 tsp sesame oil

For the dipping sauce

soy sauce, lime juice & chilli

Method:

1. For the gyoza skins, sift the flour into a large bowl and mix in the salt. Stir in the boiling water until the mixture comes together as a dough.  Roll the dough into a ball, cover with cling film and set aside to rest for one hour.
2. Meanwhile, for the filling, mix all of the filling ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until well combined. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Chill in the fridge until needed. 
3. For the gyoza skin,turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for five minutes until smooth and elastic.  
4. Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, stretching and turning the dough as you go, until the gyoza dough is as thin as possible. Using a 10cm/4in cookie cutter, cut discs from the gyoza dough and stack them on top of each other, dusting the top of each with a little flour before adding the next one. Repeat the rolling and cutting process until all of the dough has been used.
5. To assemble the dumplings, hold a gyoza skin in the palm of your hand and add one teaspoon of the filling mixture. Wet the edges with a little water using your fingertip and seal the dumpling, pinching along the edges with a fork to seal. Repeat the process until all of the filling mixture and gyoza skins have been used up, setting each dumpling aside on a plate dusted with flour.
6. To cook the dumplings, heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Arrange the gyoza in the pan, in batches if necessary, leaving space between each one, and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden-brown, then turn over to fry the other side. Take care as they will burn quickly.
7. Serve hot with dipping sauce.

(recipe adapted from BBC Good Food)