Crispy Pork Gyoza
Being a parent right now means making sure your kids feel loved and safe - but at the same time educating them honestly on the ever-changing political and racial unrest in the midst of an unprecedented global pandemic. Heavy shit, right?? It also means homeschooling so they don’t fail but also encouraging unstructured play and limiting screens so they can relax and just be kids. Parenting is holding on tight but also letting go while also giving them room to breath and make mistakes but obviously at a safe distance because: COVID-19. It’s calming their fears but also not sugarcoating the realities of injustice and unfairness and unnecessary violence happening all over our country. Being a parent means keeping your shit together because hiding in the pantry until life goes back to “normal” isn’t an option no matter how much we wish it did.
Parenting right now means finding joy, even though at times it’s hard as hell. It means making your kid’s favorite dinner she personally requested just because you can. Because it makes them happy. Being a parent means dropping everything and bringing your teenager’s bathing suit to her so she can jump in the lake down the street even though quaranTEENing has been challenging for both of you lately. It means hearing laugh with her friends and swing from the tree swing and lay on the paddle board and talk about how hot John B is from Outer Banks and how cool your mom is for whipping up freaking homemade Pan Fried Gyoza JUST. FOR. YOU.
Is it perfect? Hell no. But it’s all we’ve got, so I’ll take it. And the gyoza, too.
STEP BY STEP PICTURES:
Crispy Pork Gyoza
Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground pork (or chicken...or shrimp)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoon pureed ginger
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 scallion, minced
- 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 1 egg, whisked
- 50 round gyoza wrappers
- small bowl of water
- Vegetable oil, as needed (or any other neutral high-heat oil)
- Toasted Sesame oil, as needed
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons finely sliced scallions
- ½ tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon pureed ginger
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
- Chile garlic crunch (Trader Joe’s version is the BOMB)
- Hot chile oil
Instructions:
- Mix dumpling ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. Lay out gyoza wrappers on the counter and place 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each one. Wet the perimeter of the gyoza wrappers lightly with water using your finger or a small silicone brush. Fold the bottom up to meet the top and seal shut.
- For each batch, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, place 12 gyoza at a time in a single layer, flat side down. Cook until the bottom of the gyoza turns golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Add ¼ cup of water to the pan, IMMEDIATELY cover with a lid and steam the gyoza for about 3 minutes or until most of the water evaporates.
- Remove the lid to evaporate any remaining water. Add 1 teaspoon sesame oil around the frying pan. Cook uncovered until the gyoza is nice and crisp on the bottom. Repeat this step in batches of 12, as needed. Transfer to a plate and serve with dipping sauce.
- For the dipping sauce, combine the sauce ingredients in a small plate and mix all together.
- To save gyoza for later or make ahead, put the uncooked gyoza on a baking sheet leaving some space between to keep them from sticking. Place the sheet pan in the freezer for an hour before transferring frozen gyoza into a freezer bag to store. When you use frozen gyoza, do not defrost. Cook from frozen and steam for extra 1-2 minutes.