Making Gyoza with Kaori

I have, as I am sure you are aware, been making Chinese style wontons for some time.  But I have never mastered the art of making Japanese gyoza, which are more or less the same thing but folded with pretty pleats.  One of the difficulties has been that in Tai Sun in Sheffield you can only buy square wrappers and the Japanese use round ones.  But even so, I couldn't quite master the pleating.

Then Kaori said she would teach me how to make her gyoza. And yesterday evening she did.

She took

• 250 grams of pork mince (though you can use pretty much anything you want in the gyoza mix) to which she added 
• a generous quantity of finely chopped spring onion and about a third of a half cabbage, also finely diced.  To that she added 
• a large clove of garlic, finely chopped, 
• a (small)dessert spoon and a half of ginger paste and
•  two (small) dessert spoons each of oyster sauce, soya sauce and sesame oil.  She says you can add all these things to taste.  
• She also added a pinch of salt.  
• Then she mooshed everything together by hand.

To make the gyoza, she put a small portion of mix in the centre of each wrap the moisten the top half of the circle with a finger dipped in water.  Fold up the bottom half and carefully fold in your pleads.  Finally, press round the edges again so they don't come apart when you cook them!

When you are ready, fry the bottoms gently so they are nice and golden and then you can choose to steam, simmer or fry your gyoza.  Kaori served hers with rice, vegetables and ponzu sauce

I have discovered that I can buy round gyoza skins from Japan Centre, but that's in London and although they will deliver, it would be quite expensive for 24 gyoza skins!  I shall have to practise hard with the square ones until I can get to London!