[ID: Five gyoza, each with ten small inward-facing pleats, sit on a plate garnished with green onion. One of the gyoza is upside-down to show a golden brown bottom. A bowl of dark brown dipping sauce is visible in the background. End ID.]
Tofu and vegetable gyoza / 豆腐餃子
Japanese gyoza are similar to Chinese potstickers, but they are usually smaller, with a thinner wrapper. These gyoza consist of a tender wrapper and a juicy, umami vegetable and tofu filling, pan-fried and steamed to produce a crisp bottom and served with a tangy, slightly spicy dipping sauce. I like to make a big batch of these and freeze some to add to a quick meal throughout the next few weeks.
Recipe under the cut!
Patreon | Tip jar
Makes about 45.
INGREDIENTS:
For the wrappers:
2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
3 tbsp vegetable oil
About ½ cup (120mL) water
For the filling:
3/4 cup (75g) green cabbage, minced
1 medium carrot (50g), minced
1 small stalk celery (30g), minced
5 shiitake mushrooms, minced
2 stalks green onion, thinly sliced
7oz (1/2 package) firm or extra firm tofu
1 clove garlic, minced or grated
1/2-inch chunk (5g) ginger, minced or grated
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp red miso paste
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white peppercorns, toasted and ground
Also try other vegetables and herbs such as daikon (Japanese radish), chives, &c.
For the dipping sauce:
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp chili oil (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
For the wrappers:
1. If measuring by volume, measure flour by spooning into a dry cup measure and levelling off. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Add vegetable oil and stir.
2. Add water slowly until a soft, non-sticky dough forms. You may need more or less than 1/2 cup. Add more water, 1 Tbsp at a time, if dry flour remains in the bottom of the bowl. Cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
3. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes until very smooth. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and allow to rest for half an hour to make rolling out easier.
4. Divide dough in half, leaving the half you're not using covered (this makes it easier to achieve a thinner wrapper). Roll out each dough half on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle of about 1.5mm thickness. Allow to rest, covered with a kitchen towel, for another 30 minutes.
5. Use a 3" (7 1/2 cm) cookie cutter or cup to cut out circular gyoza wrappers. Lightly dust each wrapper with cornstarch and set them aside on a covered plate. Allow scraps to rest in plastic or under a damp kitchen towel before rolling them out again.
For the filling:
1. Drain tofu. Press by wrapping in a clean kitchen towel and placing on a clean surface or cutting board, then placing a plate or other flat surface over the tofu and weighing it down with a heavy object. Press for about an hour to remove excess water.
2. Meanwhile, shred cabbage by slicing in half lengthwise (through the root) and cutting out the stem, then placing cut-side down and slicing thinly lengthwise to achieve thin strips. Finally, cut strips into a fine mince.
3. Peel carrot and mince; mince celery and mushrooms. Alternately, prepare all vegetables in a food processor.
4. Cover vegetables with about 1/2 inch table salt and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes to release moisture. Rinse briefly to remove excess salt and then squeeze firmly over a colander to get rid of moisture. A too-wet filling means a decrease in flavor and a higher likelihood of soggy gyoza!
5. Dice tofu. Mix tofu with mushrooms, cabbage, carrot, celery, green onions, garlic, and ginger in a large bowl.
6. Whisk soy sauce, miso paste, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, and cornstarch in a small bowl until well combined. Add to vegetable mixture and stir to combine.
To assemble:
Assembling gyoza the way shown in the recipe photo takes a little bit of practice. You want to make 10-12 tiny, even folds along one edge of the gyoza--these can be facing the same direction for the length of the gyoza, or they can all face outwards from the center. These tiny folds help the dipping sauce to cling onto the gyoza (as well as looking quite nice), but if you don't want to do something so involved, you can simply fold the wrappers in half around the filling and press to seal, then fry the gyoza lying on one side. They'll still turn out delicious!
1. Take one wrapper in the palm of your non-dominant hand and place a spoonful of filling in the center. (Use less filling to give yourself more wrapper to work with if you're not experienced with shaping dumplings.) Use a finger dipped in some water to wet the edges of the wrapper--this will help to seal it closed around the filling.
2. With your non-dominant hand, hold the gyoza so that it's roughly folded in half. To make gyoza with folds all facing the same direction: Using your dominant hand, pinch just the half of the dough closest to you into a small fold, then press it down against the half of wrapper furthest from you to seal. Continue making small folds in this manner, each one slightly overlapping the last, until the gyoza is completely sealed.
I like to make gyoza with folds facing outward from the center; to do this, first pinch the gyoza to seal it at the halfway point widthwise, then make folds as described above (pinching just the half of the dough closest to you into a small fold, then pressing it down against the half of wrapper furthest from you to seal) from the center to one edge of the semicircle Then, repeat the process from the center to the other edge, folding in the opposite direction this time.
3. Place the gyoza on a plate and cover with a kitchen towel to keep it from drying out. Continue in this way until you have formed all of the gyoza.
For the dipping sauce:
1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
To cook:
1. Heat 2 tsp of a neutral oil on medium in a large skillet. Add gyoza in a single layer and allow to fry until their bottoms are lightly golden-brown.
2. Pour 2-3 Tbsp of water in the center of the pan (not over the gyoza). Immediately cover the pan to allow the gyoza to steam until slightly translucent, about 3 minutes.
3. Uncover the pan and cook until the water has completely evaporated out.
4. Drizzle toasted sesame oil over the gyoza to re-crisp the bottoms and add flavor. Cook until the bottoms of the gyoza are deeply golden brown.
Serve hot with dipping sauce.
Gyoza may be frozen and fried later. Form them and store them immediately (without frying or steaming them) with sheets of parchment paper between each layer; fry and steam them directly from frozen without thawing.
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Slow Cooker Whole Chicken with Stuffing
2 carrots diced
1 small yellow onion diced
2 celery ribs diced
5 lbs. whole chicken
½ cup salted butter melted
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried sage (use oregano if you don't have sage)
½ tsp. paprika
6 oz. box stove top stuffing I use savory herb style but you can use any kind of stove-top such as chicken, turkey or cornbread style.
Clean out the inside of the chicken by removing any extra parts or packaging and discard.
Add the carrots, onion and celery to the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the chicken.
Pour over the melted butter and sprinkle over the thyme, sage, paprika, salt and pepper.
Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or HIGH for 5-6 hours.
Remove chicken to a platter and cover with foil. Now you'll want to remove some of the liquid from the slow cooker, leave only 1.5 cups of liquid along with the veggies. (you can use the extra liquid for gravy or another recipe). Add the box of stove-top stuffing to the veggies and 1.5 cups of liquid in the slow cooker. Replace the lid. Let sit for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork when the time is up.
I add the chicken back to the slow cooker with the stuffing for a pretty presentation. If I was just serving this to my family, I would slice and serve the chicken on the platter and serve the stuffing from the slow cooker.
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