½teaspoongranulated konbu(dashi) stock (or other vegetarian boullion)
1TbsMirin or other sweet wine(or water and a small sprinkle of sugar or honey)
1Tbsfresh grated ginger
1teaspoonsesame oil
For the Dipping Sauce
3TbsSoya Sauce
1teaspoonlemon juice
½teaspoonbalsamic vinegar
a drop of sesame oil
Instructions
For the Filling
Soak the shitake mushrooms in hot water for half an hour or so. Save the broth for miso soup!
Meanwhile, very very finely chop the leek and other mushrooms very finely.
Then, for the now re-hydrated shitake mushrooms, trim off the quite woody stem, then mince finely.
Add the leeks, garlic, ginger and chilli to a frypan, sweat until soft.
Add the mushrooms, konbu stock powder, mirin and soy sauce and sesame oil.
Cook until combined and soft.
Let cool.
To Stuff
Set yourself up a station with the filling, gyoza wrappers, a small dish of water and a greaseproof paper lined tray to recieve the made dumplings.
On each dumpling, put a scant teaspoon of filling, on one half slightly wet the edge, then fold the other edge over the filling, pleating the edge and pressing down to form the half moon shaped dumpling.
To Cook
Prepare a frying pan- to which you have a lid that just fits inside it, with a bit of vegetable oil so that the pan is hot enough to gently fry.
Boil the kettle.
Place as many dumplings as you dare inside ( my small/standard pan lets me cook 8 at a time), flat side down.
Fry the dumplings until a little golden and crispy underneath.
Pour 1cm of boiling water from the kettle into the pan and clamp the lid on top.
This will then steam the dumplings.
Once the water evaporates.. you're ready to serve!
Notes
I buy gyoza wrappers from the Japan Centre in London. But they are really easily to find in pretty much any Chinese or Japanese (Asian) grocery store. I buy them frozen & keep them in the freezer until about an hour before I want to use them.