Gyoza (Japanese pan-fried dumplings)

Ingredients:

• wonton wrappers
• 4 cups cabbage
• 250 g pork mincemeat
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp green onion
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger
• 1 tsp chili
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper

What to do:

Toss the minced cabbage with the salt in a large bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes. Using both hands, squeeze the cabbage firmly to drain and discard the excess water and then transfer the cabbage to a deep bowl. Add the pork, minced garlic, grated ginger, green onion, chilli, sesame oil and ground pepper. Mix everything together with your hands until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Have a small bowl of cold water ready. Place a wrapper on your palm and spoon the filling onto the center. Dip your index finger into some water and moisten the outer edges of the dumpling wrapper. Fold the wrapper over to enclose the filling, and pinch the wrapper in the center to seal the edges together at that spot. Use your thumb and index finger to make a pleat. Pinch to secure tightly. Set aside the stuffed dumpling with the pleated-wrapper edge up.

Heat up the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Arrange the gyoza and pan-fry until the bottoms turn golden brown and become crispy. Add about 5 mm of water into the skillet  and cover the lid immediately. The water should evaporate after a few minutes. Continue to cook the gyoza for a couple of minutes to crisp up the bottoms. If you suspect that they start to burn, lower the heat

Serve hot with Nuoc Mam Cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce).