Go Gyoza!

On weekends when I don't have huge plans I like to undertake cooking projects that I have never attempted before. I will try things that I know are time consuming and tedious because it is so much fun for me. I love to cook and I love to experiment with daring recipes. I have been wanting to make homemade gyoza or dumplings for a long time but my weekends have been too busy and jam packed. This past weekend I had my first free Saturday in a long time and I couldn't wait to jump right into the gyoza recipe I had been saving.

Stuffing the gyoza is the only detailed part of the entire recipe. Otherwise, cooking the stuffing and cooking the finished gyoza is simple. While stuffing the gyoza I knew I wouldn't be able to take pictures because the process is very intricate leaving no free hands for snapping pictures. I asked Forrest to help me out by taking some pictures as I stuffed and folded the gyoza, but we quickly realized that still pictures didn't convey the steps properly. I decided that a video was the best way to demonstrate the steps. For me, listening to my voice is like nails on a chalkboard so I chose not to narrate the steps in the video. I asked Forrest to do it because he has a much more pleasant voice (he used to host a sports talk radio show in college - he wants me to tell you that). He agreed because he is supportive. Ok, really - he agreed because I begged him.

Pork Gyoza
Adapated from Cooking Light November 2006

Yield

10 servings (serving size: 3 pot stickers)

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 8 ounces of 50% less fat pork sausage
  
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions (about 2)
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 1/2 cups packaged cabbage-and-carrot coleslaw
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 30 gyoza skins
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 1 cup water

Preparation

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork; cook 6 minutes or until done, stirring to crumble. Add 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper and stir. Add onions, soy sauce, and sesame oil; cook 30 seconds.

Stir in coleslaw,

and cook 30 seconds or until cabbage wilts, stirring frequently.

Combine 3 tablespoons water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add cornstarch mixture to pork mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature.

Place pork mixture in a food processor

and process until the pork is ground into smaller chunks, only a few pulses of the food processor. Do not puree.

Working with 1 gyoza skin at a time (cover remaining skins to prevent drying), spoon 1 scant tablespoon pork mixture into center of each skin. Moisten edges of skin with water. Fold in half, pinching edges together to seal. Place on a baking sheet in a single layer (cover loosely with a towel to prevent drying).

When all skins are filled, remove towel

and cover with plastic wrap; freeze until firm for about 30 minutes. Place in zip-top plastic bags, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Arrange frozen pot stickers in pan in a single layer; cook 2 minutes or until browned on bottom.

Add 1 cup water to pan; cover and cook 5 minutes.

Uncover and cook until liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

These gyoza were actually a lot easier than I had anticipated. Cooking the stuffing took all of 10 minutes and after the third gyoza the crimping/stuffing method became a breeze. They were very delicious and pretty and I love the fact that they are all frozen in the freezer and I can cook as many as I want at a time. They only take about 10-15 minutes out of the freezer which makes them worth the upfront time to stuff them all in order to have the special treats waiting in the freezer at your disposal.