Crispy-Bottom Pork & Cabbage Gyoza with Chilli-Black Vinegar Dip

⏱ 60 min · Serves 4

Juicy pork and sweet cabbage wrapped in thin dough, then pan-fried and steamed in one pan so you get lacy golden bottoms and silky steamed tops. Make a big batch and freeze the rest — future you will be delighted.

Per serving: 525 kcal · 26.0g protein · 54.0g carbs · 22.0g fat

Ingredients

• 40 round gyoza wrappers (about 1 pack), thawed if frozen
• 300g pork mince (ideally 15-20% fat)
• 250g Chinese cabbage or white cabbage, very finely shredded
• 1 tsp fine salt (for the cabbage)
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 2 tbsp neutral oil, for frying
• 150ml water, for steaming
• For the dipping sauce:
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar (or rice vinegar)
• 1 tsp chilli oil or chilli crisp
• 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp finely sliced spring onion

Method

1. Toss the shredded cabbage with 1 tsp salt in a bowl and leave for 10 minutes. Squeeze out as much liquid as you can with your hands or a clean tea towel — this keeps the filling from going soggy.
2. In a large bowl, mix the pork, drained cabbage, spring onions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and cornflour. Stir vigorously in one direction for a minute until the mixture feels sticky and cohesive.
3. Keep the wrappers under a damp cloth. Place a heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre of a wrapper, wet the edge lightly with water, fold in half and pleat one side 4-5 times, pressing to seal. Sit each finished gyoza on a lightly floured tray, flattening the base slightly.
4. Whisk all the dipping sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
5. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Arrange half the gyoza flat-side down in a snug circle or rows and fry for 2-3 minutes until deeply golden underneath.
6. Add 75ml water, cover immediately with a lid and steam for 6 minutes. Uncover, let the remaining water cook off and fry for 1-2 minutes more until the bases are crisp again.
7. Slide onto a plate crisp-side up and repeat with the remaining gyoza. Serve hot with the dipping sauce. (Uncooked gyoza freeze brilliantly on a tray, then bagged — cook from frozen, adding 2 extra minutes of steaming.)