Mushroom Gyoza

Step 1

Heat the olive oil and sea salt in a skillet over medium low heat. Add the mushrooms and allow them to sweat for several minutes to release all of the water. Once the water is mostly gone, turn up the heat to medium and add the garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, for another 2 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool.

Step 2

In a medium bowl, combine the mushroom mixture, scallions, tarami, sesame oil and sambal.

Step 3

Fill a small bowl with water. Pick up a dumpling wrapper and wet the top edge of it with some water. Place a teaspoon of the mushroom filling into the wrapper, fold it in half and press it to close (see notes on how to fold the wrapper decoratively). Place the dumpling on a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining filling.

Step 4

Heat about a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a skillet on medium heat. Taking care not to overcrowd the pan, add several dumplings (7-8 for an average sized skillet) flat side down. Cook for 30-60 seconds until the bottoms are nice and brown, gently swirling the pan around to prevent sticking. Immediately add 1/4 cup of water, cover the pan and turn the heat down to low. (Be careful as the oil might spatter; I recommend wearing an oven mitt when adding the water). Cook for another 1-2 minutes, until the wrapper is nicely steamed and most of the water is gone from the pan. Set the cooked dumplings aside and repeat until all the dumplings are cooked.

Step 5

Serve with tamari, soy sauce or dumpling sauce.