I don’t have dainty Japanese fingers (I am quite heavy-handed!), but if I can make gyoza at home, then anyone can! Shiso leaves, often used in gyoza fillings, come from the same plant family as nettle. For the keen forager, this is cooking heaven.
Makes 10 gyoza.
INGREDIENTS
For the filling:
100 gr minced pork
½ teaspoon grated ginger
15 gr wild garlic
15 gr wild chives
100 gr nettle, finely chopped
10 large nettle leaves, whole
½ tablespoon corn starch
pinch of salt
For the wrapper:
120 gr all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
60 ml freshly boiled water at room temperature
dusting of corn starch
2 tablespoon rapeseed oil for cooking
Utensils:
cookie cutter and rolling pin
METHOD
Blanch all the nettle in boiling water for at least one minute. Set the water aside for later.
For the filling, mix all the ingredients together apart from the large nettle leaves. Work the mixture with your hands vigorously for 10 minutes.
For the gyoza wrappers, mix the salt in the water you blanched the nettles in, then add to the flour and knead for 10 minutes.
Divide the dough into 3 cm balls and roll them out into 3mm thick circles with a rolling pin, then cut them with a cookie cutter. Use a damp towel to keep the unused dough pliable otherwise it will dry out.
Wet the edges of each wrapper with a finger dipped in water, place a large nettle leaf onto the wrapper and add about a tablespoon of filling in the middle. Fold like a book and make pleats all the way around the edge. The gyoza should have a half moon shape and be slightly curved so it can stand on its own in the pan without toppling.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan on a high/medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and cook the gyoza for 2-3 minutes until the bottom is golden. Have a lid ready and add some water to the pan, cover immediately and let the gyoza steam for another 3-5 minutes, lift the lid and continue cooking for another 2 minutes until all the water has evaporated.
Serving suggestions: accompany the gyoza with a dipping sauce made of soy sauce, rice vinegar and the liquid from wild garlic kimchi.
