Vegetable gyozas (Chinese dumplings)

I love the way the different cuisines of the Asian continent spice up their dishes. The most bland foods are transformed into tasty morsels, with peculiar and very powerful flavours. Among my favourites are gyozas, Chinese dumplings that I could eat with both hands and every day of the week.

In some villages in northern China, gyozas, also called jiaozi, wontons or Peking dumplings , are believed to have rejuvenating properties. They symbolize fortune and are traditionally prepared for New Year's Eve dinner, also known as the "Spring Festival." Chinese people eat jiaozi standing up while exchanging wishes for prosperity and happiness.

This version is a bit laborious because it uses homemade dough, but it is infinitely more delicious than the industrial dough. It is a perfect recipe to prepare during the weekend, when we have more time to cook. The filling, which allows for all kinds of ingredients , can be prepared in advance. Although I like vegetable gyozas, they are incredibly addictive.

Ingredients (for 28 units)

For the dough:

• 200 g of wheat flour
• 10 g of salt
• 90 ml of hot water
• 50 g cornstarch (for flouring)

For the filling:

• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 piece of fresh ginger about 2-3 centimeters
• 3 carrots
• 2 branches of celery
• 1 leek (white part only)
• 1/4 zucchini
• 50 g of bean sprouts
• 5 large mushrooms
• Vegetable oil
• 30 ml soy sauce
• Salt
• Ground black pepper

To cook the gyozas:

• Vegetable oil
• Sesame oil
• Water
• Sesame seeds
• Fresh parsley

De Buyer Mineral B Cast Iron Skillet , Revol Caractère Porcelain Plate and Revol Now Mug .

Preparation

How to make the Gyoza dough:

1. Mix the flour and salt in a deep, wide bowl. Pour in the hot water little by little while stirring.
2. When there is no more water left to add, work the dough with your hands until you get a homogeneous ball that comes away from the sides of the container.
3. We transfer the dough to the work surface and knead for 10 more minutes. We wrap it in cling film and put it in the fridge for a couple of hours, during which time we can make the filling.
4. Once the dough has rested, remove it from the refrigerator and shape it into a cylinder. Cut it into 28 pieces of the same size.
5. Sprinkle each piece with a little cornstarch and press with the palm of your hand, forming discs.
6. Take a piece and, using a rolling pin, form a thin disk. Repeat the process until you have used up all the dough.
7. To prevent the unlaid pieces and the finished discs from drying out, we cover both with a damp cloth.

Prepare the filling:

1. Peel and chop the garlic cloves and ginger. Grate them on a fine grater and set aside.
2. Peel the carrots and celery, removing the strings. Cut into pieces of about 2 centimetres.
3. Remove the outer layer of the leek, cut it in half lengthwise, and wash it well under cold running water. Cut into discs of about 2 centimetres.
4. We wash the zucchini, remove the end and cut into thick pieces.
5. We clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth, removing any traces of dirt. We cut them into quarters.
6. We wash the bean sprouts and dry them well.
7. We finely chop everything above, either with a knife, with a manual chopper or with a robot.
8. Heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan and sauté all the vegetables together over a medium heat for 8 minutes. Add the soy sauce, turn up the heat and let it evaporate.
9. Check the flavour and add salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cool completely before filling the wafers with the vegetable mixture.

Gyoza formation:

1. Prepare a small bowl with water. We will use it to moisten the edge of each wafer and act as glue when folding the dough. This way the gyozas will not open or the filling will not come out during cooking.
2. We brush the outline of each wafer with water and place a small portion of the filling inside. We join the central ends and pinch to join well. We make folds with the front part of the wafer while joining the back part, from left to right, from right to left.
3. Leftover filling can be frozen to make more gyozas another day or use in other recipes.

Termination:

1. Heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan and place the gyozas on top.
2. When the base has browned (it will take about 3-5 minutes depending on the temperature of the fire) add water until the bottom is covered.
3. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the water has evaporated.
4. Sprinkle the gyozas with sesame seeds and chopped fresh parsley and serve immediately, accompanied by cooked rice, noodles, soy sauce, broth, etc.

De Buyer Mineral B Cast Iron Frying Pan , Revol Caractère Porcelain Plate and Opinel serrated knife .