Nearly every country has their own version of a dumpling – whether it’s ravioli, pierogi or wonton, let’s face it, they’re all extremely delicious. Japanese dumplings, AKA Gyoza, are packed full of our favourite Japanese flavours, like ginger, garlic and soy. We love to make these when we have friends over for dinner as it is a nice social meal to cook together and is perfect with a cold beer when the weather warms up too!

Influenced by the Chinese dumplings, Giaozi, Gyoza are a popular dish in Japan, where you will often find them on the menus at Izakayas and Ramen restaurants. They are great to make ahead of time and freeze to pull out for a quick meal or a late-night snack! Getting the filling right is really important, and you need to make sure the balance of flavours is spot on before you start making the actual gyoza, which I assure you gets easier with practice. My first attempts were pretty dodgy but I can now make one respectable gyoza in the same time Nori can make three (quite a good effort if you ask me)!

Pork these days is often sold with a big ‘Lean’ sticker on it, but when it comes down to it, the fat is going to give your gyoza more flavour and moisture. If it’s too lean the gyoza will be dry, so make sure your mince has a good amount of fat running through it. The gyoza skins are also really important – you want the thin round white type. We buy the ‘Tak On Food Productions PTY LTD’ brand, which are labeled as ‘Gyoza Dumplings’ on the packet. These are sold at most Asian grocers, as are shiso leaves, which are not imperative, but we love to include them in our version of Gyoza, as they add a really interesting depth of flavour to this dish.

For the dipping sauce, pour the soy and vinegar into a small bowl and mix to combine. Add a pinch of the chilli powder and set aside. Note: The amounts given are for one serve, so if serving two or three people, just double or triple the recipe.

For the gyoza, toss the cabbage in a colander with 2 teaspoons of salt and leave to drain for 15 minutes. Squeeze the salted cabbage to drain excess liquid. Combine cabbage and all other gyoza ingredients, except for the skins and vegetable oil, in a large bowl and mix well with your hands or a spoon. You really want to mix this well to make sure the ingredients are well incorporated into the mince.

To assemble the gyoza, have everything ready to go! The room temperature gyoza skins, the filling, a plate or board lined with glad wrap so they don’t stick, and also a small bowl of water to help seal the gyoza.

Hold the gyoza skin in one hand and place a tablespoon of the mixture in the centre of the gyoza skin. Paint the entire edge of the gyoza skin with water and slightly envelope the mixture, as if you were holding a taco. Using both hands, pinch the gyoza edges together and make a small crimp. Continue all the way along until the gyoza is completely sealed. Repeat with remaining gyoza skins and mixture.

In a large, heavy based fry pan, heat the oil over a med-high heat and add the gyoza in a single layer, fairly tightly packed and flat side down. Cook until crispy and golden on the base of the gyoza (approx. 3 minutes). Add 200ml of water to the base of the pan and cover to steam the gyoza. Cook until the liquid has completely evaporated and the gyoza are cooked through. (approximately 7 minutes). Be careful when adding the water as it will bubble and spit as soon as it hits the hot oil.

Serve gyoza hot with the dipping sauce.