Happy Recipe Swap day! I missed the last swap because we were travelling, so I was happy to jump back in to the latest round of Blogger’s Choice. For this round, I was assigned Brianna’s blog – Oishii Food. Oishii means “delicious” in Japanese and the blog was started when she spent some time in Japan. While there are plenty of recipes from other cultures too, I thought it was appropriate to pick a Japanese one.

Gyoza are pretty much the Japanese version of potstickers. And, since I have such a soft spot of potstickers, I knew I’d love these. As daunting as they look, they’re relatively easy to put together and absoltely delicious. I’m still working on getting the perfect fold down, but if you want to see some really beautiful Gyoza, click on over to Brianna’s blog!

Gyoza
(very slightly adapted from Oishii Food)
Makes at least 4 dozen

For the Gyoza:

3 c. cole slaw mix
2 green onions, chopped
1 T. coarse salt
1 lb. ground pork
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 garlic clove, minced
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. white wine
1 T. sesame oil
1 T. cornstarch
1 package wonton wrappers (10-12 oz.)
1/4 c. vegetable oil

For the Dipping Sauce:

4 T. Soy sauce
4 T. Rice vinegar
1 t. Sesame oil
1 T. Agave nectar
1 t. Chili-garlic sauce
Salt & Pepper, to taste

In a medium bowl, toss the cabbage with the green onions and salt. Let stand 10 minutes and then rinse and drain in a collandar. A handful at a time, sqeeze as much liquid out of the cabbage as you can and transfer to a large bowl.

Add the pork, pepper, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, white wine and sesame oil to the large bowl. Mix thoroughly with cabbage mixture.

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with two tablespoons water. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment. On the center of each wonton wrapper, place 1-2 teaspoons of pork and cabbage filling. Dip your finger in the water-cornstarch mixture and moisten the edges of the wrapper. Take one corner and fold it over to the opposite corner to make a triangle – seal the edges by pinching together.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, but not sizzling. Place enough gyoza in the skillet to cover the bottom, but don’t stack them. Cook until they’re browned where touching the pan. Add 2/3 cup of water to the skillet and cover tightly. Let steam for 5 minutes, adding more water if it evaporates before 5 minutes are up. Cook until the water is evaporated and they’re nicely browned on the pottom. Remove from pan and repeat until all gyoza are cooked.

To make the dipping sauce, whisk together all dipping sauce ingredients. Taste and adjust as needed.

Want to see what else was made for the Blogger’s Choice swap? You can see what all the participants cooked up below:
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