Napa Cabbage Gyoza with Miso Dipping Sauce

• doses: 80 servings
• tempo ativo: 1 hour
• tempo total: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredientes

1½ lb napa cabbage (½ medium head) ½

1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (for salting the napa cabbage)

1 lb ground pork

2 oz garlic chives (Chinese chives or Nira) (roughly the same amount as 4 green onions) 4

2 green onions/scallions

1 tsp ginger (grated, with juice; from a 1-inch, 2.5-cm knob) 1 2.5

1 clove garlic (large)

1 Tbsp sake (to remove the pork‘s gamey taste; optional)

1 Tbsp miso (use twice as much if you skip the miso dipping sauce; I used Hikari Miso's Organic Miso 3 Year Aged)

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch

1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1½ packages gyoza wrappers (roughly 80 wrappers; each brand has a different count per pack; I used 1½ packages at 10 oz/284 g per pack) 80 1½

2 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch (for dusting the baking sheet)

1 Tbsp neutral oil

4 Tbsp water

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

3 Tbsp miso (I used Hikari Miso‘s Organic Miso 3 Year Aged)

3 Tbsp soy sauce

3 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)

1 Tbsp sugar

½ Tbsp la-yu (Japanese chili oil) (optional; Japanese chili oil is not too spicy; you can make my Homemade La-yu)

Instruções

Gather all the ingredients.

To Prepare the Napa Cabbage

Remove the tough core from 1½ lb napa cabbage. Slice the cabbage crosswise into thin strips about ⅓-inch (1 cm) wide.

Finely chop the strips crosswise into very small pieces, especially the thick white parts of the leaves. Then, run your knife through the cabbage to mince it finer. Next, sprinkle it with 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

Massage the salt into the minced cabbage with your hands. Transfer it to a bowl. Set aside to allow the salt to draw out the moisture from the cabbage.

To Make the Filling

Meanwhile, slice 2 oz garlic chives (Chinese chives or Nira) into small pieces. Add to a large bowl.

Next, chop 2 green onions/scallions into thin slices and add to the bowl with the chives.

Peel a knob of ginger and grate it (I use a ceramic grater). Measure 1 tsp ginger (grated, with juice).

To the bowl, add 1 lb ground pork, 1 clove garlic (crushed; I use a garlic press), and the grated ginger. Then, add the seasonings: 1 Tbsp sake, 1 Tbsp miso, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch, 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, and ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper.

Mix well and knead the mixture with your hand (I wear plastic disposable gloves) until it becomes sticky and pale in color.

Use your hands to squeeze out the moisture from the wilted napa cabbage. Look how much liquid the napa cabbage released!

Add the drained napa cabbage to the meat mixture. Knead well by hand to combine until the cabbage is evenly incorporated into the filling and the mixture is sticky.

To Fold the Gyoza

Prepare a small bowl of water for dipping your finger. Open your 1½ packages gyoza wrappers and cover the wrappers with a damp towel or plastic wrap so they don‘t dry out. Pick up one wrapper and place it in the palm of your non-dominant hand (left hand for me). Use a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop to place a small amount of filling in the center of the wrapper. Do not overstuff. If you‘re new to gyoza making, use a scant 1 Tbsp of filling. Flatten it with the scooper bowl, making sure to press out any air pockets in the filling.

Dip one finger in the water and use it to draw a circle around the outer ¼ inch (6 mm) of the wrapper to moisten. Fold the wrapper in half over the filling. Pinch the wrapper together at the top center of the half circle, but don’t seal it yet. To make the first pleat, hold the wrapper in your left (non-dominant) hand. Starting on the right side near the top center, use the thumb and index finger of your right hand to fold the top half of the wrapper into a pleat that leans toward the center.

Use your left thumb and index finger to press the folded pleat tightly against the back half of the wrapper. Repeat folding along the right side about once every ¼ inch (6 mm), making a total of 3–4 pleats.

Here what it looks like from the front.

Press out any air pockets and seal the edge closed. Pinch the pleats to secure.

Now, make the pleats on the left side. Hold the gyoza with your right hand. Starting at the center top, use your left fingers to fold 3–4 pleats leaning toward the center and moving toward the left side. Press out any air pockets and seal the edge closed.

Here‘s how it looks from the front.

Press the pleats one last time. Evenly distribute the filling and shape the gyoza to create a flat side on the bottom.

Here‘s the front view.

Dust a baking sheet with 2 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch. Place your finished gyoza on top and cover with plastic wrap to avoid drying. Repeat to fold the remaining wrappers.

To Freeze for Later

If you want to store uncooked gyoza to cook later (optional), now is the time to freeze them. Before the filling starts to release moisture and make the wrappers soggy, lay out the gyoza on a sheet pan or plate in a single layer so they‘re not touching. Then, cover with plastic wrap or a large resealable bag and flash freeze them in the freezer until solid (or at least frozen on the outside).

Once the gyoza are solid, pack them in an airtight bag to freeze. Because you flash froze them, the gyoza won’t stick to each other in the bag. Store the gyoza in the freezer for up to a month. When you’re ready to cook them, place the frozen gyoza directly in your frying pan. Follow the regular cooking instructions below, but steam them for an extra 1–2 minutes.

(Optional) I like to fill any extra wrappers with sliced cheese, fold the wrapper in half, and press to seal. They‘re delicious pan-fried (see below).

To Fry the Gyoza

Cook the gyoza in batches. First, heat a large (nonstick or carbon steel) frying pan over medium heat (I use an 11" carbon steel pan). When the pan is hot, add 1 Tbsp neutral oil. Then, when the oil is hot, place the gyoza in the pan, flat side down. Arrange them in a single layer in either a circular pattern or two rows, and leave space between each piece so they don‘t touch each other.

Cook until the bottom of the gyoza turns golden brown, about 3 minutes. Then, add 4 Tbsp water to the pan.

Immediately cover with a lid and steam the gyoza for about 3 minutes or until most of the water evaporates. They are cooked if the gyoza pleats look soft; if not, add some water and steam for a bit longer. Tip: If you‘re cooking frozen gyoza, steam them for an extra 1–2 minutes.

Remove the lid to evaporate any remaining water.

Drizzle 1 tsp toasted sesame oil around the edges of the pan. Cook, uncovered, until the gyoza are browned and crisp on the bottom. Since I use a carbon steel pan, I have to make sure the bottoms of the gyoza have a nice crust, otherwise they will stick and won‘t come off clean.

Once the gyoza have a crust, they will release from the pan naturally. Remove to a plate. Repeat this process to cook the other batches.

For the cheese filled wrappers (optional), simply pan-fry both sides in neutral oil until golden brown.

To Serve

In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the dipping sauce: 3 Tbsp miso, 3 Tbsp soy sauce, 3 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned), 1 Tbsp sugar, and ½ Tbsp la-yu (Japanese chili oil).

Transfer the Napa Cabbage Gyoza to a serving plate and serve with individual bowls of miso dipping sauce on the side. Enjoy!

To Store the Cooked Gyoza

You can keep the leftover cooked gyoza in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for a month.