Gyozo

at a great corner location

tucked away at the far end of a narrow ally

Gyoza to "live for"

Pork Dumplings ... fabulous also.

This young man wanted to know how two tourist turned up in his bar ... one walks, one finds great little surprises in the back streets of Tokyo.

So he gave us dinner and a show!

 Tried a new pickle that we have not come by before today, its the stems of Brassicaceae. Soft pickle not too vinegar and with a soft but crunchy texture.
"It's a Chinese's pickle" thanks for the tip may have been a bit hard to get in a Japanese supermarket at home 

 Not sure if all the electrical hanging in and over the hand basin are a OH&'s worry!

Ingredients

For the Gyozo skins

• 300g strong white flour, plus extra for rolling
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 200ml boiling water
• 1 tbsp vege oil, for frying
• 1 tbsp sesame oil

For the chicken or pork filling

• 500g pork or chicken mince
• 1 head pak choi, very finely shredded
• 2cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled, grated
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled, grated
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp chopped spring onions (green part only)
• ½ tsp ground chilli flakes flakes
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• pinch sugar

For the crab and prawn filling

• 1 dressed crab (dark and white meat)
• 200g cooked, peeled prawns, chopped
• ½ tsp fine salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• ½ lemon, zest only, finely grated
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp chopped spring onion (green part only)
• 2cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled, grated

For the dipping sauce

• splash soy sauce
• splash lime juice
• splash chilli oil

Method

1. For the Gyozo skins, sift the flour into a large bowl and mix in the salt.
2. Stir in the boiling water using a knife or a pair of chopsticks until the mixture comes together as a dough. (You many not need to use all of the water.)
3. Roll the dough into a ball, cover with cling film and set aside to rest for one hour.
4. Meanwhile, for the chicken or pork filling, mix all of the chicken or pork filling ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until well combined (the ingredients will form a gloopy paste). Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Chill in the fridge until needed.
5. For the crab and prawn filling, mix all of the crab and prawn filling ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until well combined (the ingredients will form a gloopy paste). Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Chill in the fridge until needed.
6. For the Gyozo skin, turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for five minutes until smooth and elastic. (You can use the dough hook attachment of a food processor for this.)
7. Cut the dough into three equally sized pieces and roll each into a ball. Roll out one of the balls onto a lightly floured work surface, stretching and turning the dough as you go, until the Gyozo dough is as thin as possible.
8. Using a 10cm cookie cutter, cut discs from the Gyozo 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.
9. To assemble the dumplings, hold a Gyozo 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 to create a pleated fan effect (the end result should resemble a mini Cornish pasty). Repeat the process until all of the filling mixture and Gyozo skins have been used up, setting each dumpling aside on a plate dusted with flour.
10. To cook the dumplings, heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan with a lid over a high heat. Arrange the Gyozo 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. Take care as they will burn quickly.
11. Add 100ml of water to the pan, cover with the lid and steam the dumplings for a further two minutes.
12. Give the pan a shake to release the Gyozo from the bottom of the pan and continue to cook for a further two minutes with the lid off, until the filling is completely cooked through.
13. Meanwhile, for the dipping sauce, mix all of the dipping sauce ingredients together in a small bowl, to taste. Set aside.
14. When the Gyozo are cooked through, drizzle the sesame oil around the edges of the frying pan and shake the pan.
15. Serve the Gyozo immediately with the dipping sauce.

Recipe Tips

To check the seasoning of the filling mixture before making the Gyozo, fry a little of each type of mixture in a frying pan and taste, then adjust the seasoning accordingly.

If you don’t have time to make the Gyozo skins from scratch, they can be bought from Asian supermarkets.