Gyoza dumplings

1. Step Pour boiling water and a spoonful of soy sauce over the dried soy chunks. Finely chop all the vegetables, including the garlic, ginger, and scallions, and quickly sauté the latter three in a hot pan with oil (2 tablespoons) until they release their aroma.😇Then add the remaining vegetables, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, and the drained soy chunks to the pan, and sauté just long enough to remove excess moisture and slightly soften the vegetables. Taste it, add a little more soy sauce if needed, then transfer the filling to another bowl to cool.🌬️

2. Step To make the dough rings, start by mixing the all-purpose flour and hot water into a smooth, uniform dough. Then divide the dough ball into 2 parts and shape each part into 2 long strands with your hands.🐍If necessary, dust your work surface with a little coarse flour or cornstarch. Use a knife to cut each snake into 6 pieces, then flatten them with the palm of your hand and roll them out with a rolling pin or a bottle into very thin circles (aim for a thickness of 1–2 mm). If you’re really going all out, use a glass or cup with a diameter of about 9 cm to cut the dough into a perfect circle.😎And your first gyoza “wrapper” is ready to be filled. Place it in the palm of your hand, put a little less than a tablespoon of filling in the center, and then moisten the outer edge of the circle with water. Now comes the fun part, where there are tons of different techniques—folding. One option is to bring one half of the circle toward the other half, but don’t seal it immediately; instead, make gradual folds to create “pleats.” If you need a practical demonstration, you can watch a YouTube video before you try it yourself—just search for “gyoza wrapping technique.” Heat a non-stick skillet or wok until very hot, add about 2 tablespoons of canola oil, and then add the gyoza dumplings. Cook uncovered for 2 minutes—until the bottoms are a nice golden-brown color—then pour enough water into the pan to cover the entire surface (the amount of water added depends on the size of the pan). Immediately after adding the water, cover the dumplings with a lid, as the water will start to bubble vigorously. Let the dumplings cook for about 3 minutes, or until most of the water has evaporated, then remove the lid and wait another 30 seconds so they’ll be extra crispy on the bottom. Repeat the process with the remaining gyoza dumplings. 💪🏿

3. Step Using the ingredients and method above, you’ll end up with 24 gyoza dough circles and 24 scraps—which, of course, you don’t throw away, but instead knead everything back into a new log, add a drop of water if needed, and repeat the process of making the rounds—I made 7 more this way, and not a single gram of dough went to waste, since I didn’t trim the last round with a cup.♻️ If 30 gyoza wrappers are too many for you, simply halve the recipe; however, it’s extremely convenient to make more, freeze the unfilled ones for later, and thus shorten the preparation time. I recommend sprinkling cornstarch between the layers so they don’t stick together in the freezer.You can fill these cute little dumplings with any fillings you like (ideas: tofu and scallions, mushrooms and walnuts, kimchi…) and add some spice with Spajsi bajsi sauce if you’d like. They make a great appetizer or even a main course—you can serve them with sesame soy sauce and kimchi, or pair them with an umami-rich Asian soup and let yourself be carried away on a journey of flavors.🌏