Domestic Domination: Asian invasion, part II
I’ll admit, I get a bit stuck up about Japanese food. OK, more than just a little. But when you live in Japan for 12 years it’s a little hard not to. I can’t eat Top Ramen because it’s not Ramen to me, it is sodium soup with freeze-dried noodles. Going to sushi bars normally results in an emotional meltdown because I can’t stand how they cook their gyoza. Yes, out of all the things I choose to get mad about at a sushi bar, I choose the gyoza.
Gyoza (geeh-yo-zuh) is a dumpling usually made with pork, commonly called pot stickers in the United States. It can be cooked a variety of ways but popularly pan-fried so that the bottoms are crispy and the sides are steamed. They aren’t something you would base an entire meal around but when done right an order of six quickly turns into an order of 24 and the next thing you know you are being rolled out of whatever ramen parlor you went to with your friends because you’ve eaten 36 gyoza and a huge bowl of Ramen noodles.
Gyoza is the perfect pair to a hot bowl of Ramen or if you are doing a potluck style Asian meal, it lends itself well as an appetizer or just an additive to the meal and they are easy to make
There are tons of ways to cook your Gyoza as well as what you can put in it. There is ebi-gyoza, which is made with shrimp, vegetable-only gyoza and pork Gyoza, which in my opinion is the best. All types of gyoza are wrapped in the same gyoza wrapper which you can find as Smith’s. You can make the dough, but it is time consuming. I like to keep gyoza simple and not add a ton of things to it so you get to taste all the ingredients – flavor should always dominate in your dish.
You will need:
1 cup finely-shredded cabbage
4 tablespoons chopped green onion
1/2 cup finely shredded carrots
1 pound ground pork
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package gyoza wrappers
vegetable oil
water
soy sauce (for dipping)
1 frying pan with a lid – you must have a lid for whatever pan you use
– Combine the pork, cabbage, green onion, carrots, garlic powder and salt in a bowl until well combined.
– Fill a small bowl with water. You will use this to seal the gyoza wrappers. Take one gyoza wrapper and place a 1/2 tablespoon of filling in the middle. Dip your index finger in the water and run it down the inside border of half the wrapper – only do half the wrapper or it won’t close. Fold the gyoza in half so the wet border and dry borders meet, pinching the sides closed in fan type pattern.
– After all the gyoza wrappers are full or you have created your desired amount of gyoza, begin heating up your pan with 1 tablespoon of oil in the bottom on medium high heat.
– When the oil is shiny and slick on the bottom of the pan place six to 10 gyoza in the pan with the tops standing straight up. Let them simmer for 30 seconds with the lid on then add 1/3 cup water to the pan and close it immediately. Shake the pan gently to ensure that the water moves around. When the water has evaporated from the bottom of the pan, the gyoza are done. Remove them from the pan and place them on a plate.
– Pour some soy sauce into a small dish and enjoy the gyoza while they are hot.
C.Ann Jensen is a senior in print journalism. If you have enjoyed all her sassy cooking advice check out the Domestic Domination blog, www.domesticdomination.wordpress.com when it launches in May. If you have any questions or comments e-mail her at ch.jensen@aggiemail.usu.edu