Steamed Gyoza

Dumpling. 

It's a beautiful word. It makes me think of home, blankets, and plump things - Like me!

I've already posted one dumpling recipe - and it's good. Truly. 

But I wanted more veggies. Strange - I know. But veggies bring flavor.

And I thought that if I filled them with veggies, I could eat more of them. And feel less guilty. And you know what? I did. I stuffed myself with 12 dumplings and then had ice cream. 

But it's ok. Cause I ate my veggies. 

In dumpling form. 

Start off with a smallish head of napa cabbage. 

Blitz, sprinkle with salt, and weight down to get rid of all the excess water. It will take at least an hour, if not four.

Blitz up carrots.

And then blitz leeks - after you wash them thoroughly. 

And blitz cilantro - after you've given it a rough chop. 

Mix them all with the cabbage.  It's a veggie party!

In the same food processor bowl (which is probably a wee bit tired by this point), mix the pork, sesame oil, rice wine, and soy sauce. Grate in the ginger and garlic.

Bitz a few pulses until combined, and then mix in with the veggies. 

Wrap them up. Check out the technique here.

Create your dumpling army. 

Steam and dine!

Steamed Gyoza (Pork, Veggie, & Cilantro Dumplings)

1 small napa cabbage

1 1/2 - 2 c. carrots

2 leeks

1 bunch of cilantro

1 lb ground pork

thumb-tall, two-finger-wide nob of ginger 

3 cloves garlic

3 tsp sesame oil

2 tbsp rice wine

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 packages of dumpling wrappers

Get out your food processor. It's soon to become your best friend. 

Roughly chop the cabbage. Blitz it in the food processor until in tiny pieces. It might take you 3 to 4 batches to get it done. 

Move to a strainer and dust with 1 1/2 tsp of salt. Mix it around and squeeze some water out. Use a plate and a few canned goods to weight down the cabbage to press out more water. Let sit at least an hour. 

While that's sitting - blitz up the carrots in the food processor. You should get about a cup when packed. Toss into a large bowl. Chop up the leeks and wash them well. They carry a lot of clay and dirt, so make sure they've had a good bath. Toss them in the food processor and blitz. Into the bowl with the carrots they go!

Now, the cilantro. Blitz it too. Into the bowl with the other veggies. 

On to the pork. Toss it into your food processor with the sesame oil, rice wine, and soy sauce. Use a microplane zester to grate in the ginger and the garlic. Pulse a few times until it's all combined. 

At this point, feel free to sit down and read a book. Put some plastic over the pork and stick it in the fridge for a few hours. It's only going to get better as the flavors mingle, and the cabbage is only going to loose more water. It's a win-win. Go ahead. Have a read.

When you've finished a few chapters, head back to the kitchen. Combine all the veggies. Throw in the pork. Mix it all up and break out the dumpling wrappers. Create your dumpling army. 

Steam the dumplings for 10 minutes - or do it the proper way for a gyoza and pan fry them for 3 minutes, then toss in some water and cover and steam for 8-10 minutes. It's up to you.

Drown in soy sauce and green onion dumpling sauce.