Vegetable Gyoza

Step 1

Gather all the ingredients. Tip: You can use a food processor to chop all the vegetables like Chef David Chang did in this podcast following my recipe.

Step 2

Wrap the block of tofu with a paper towel and place it on a tray/plate. Put another tray/plate on top of the tofu and press it down with a heavy object for roughly 30 minutes to 1 hour. (I pressed for 2 hours this time; my tofu block weighed 400 g before pressing and 355 g after.) If you're in a hurry, you can microwave the tofu without plastic wrap for 1½ minutes (at 1000 watts) and drain the water.

Step 3

In a small bowl, add the soy sauce, sesame oil, miso, salt, and white pepper.

Step 4

Whisk it all together and set aside.

Step 5

Discard the tough core of the green cabbage leaves. Cut the leaves into julienned pieces.

Step 6

Mince the julienned cabbage into small pieces. Tip: It's usually easier to tuck smaller pieces in the gyoza wrapper than chunkier pieces.

Step 7

Repeat with the red cabbage: Discard the tough core of the red cabbage leaves and cut the leaves into julienned pieces. Then, mince into small pieces.

Step 8

Put the minced green and red cabbage in a bowl and add the salt. Rub the salt into the cabbage with your hands and set aside until it releases its liquid.

Step 9

Cut the carrot into slabs, then sticks, and mince them.

Step 10

Mince the onion finely: Lay the onion flat side down on the cutting board. With the knife tip pointing toward the root end, make ⅛-inch vertical slices to within ½ inch of the root end. Then, with the knife edge toward the root end, make ⅛-inch horizontal slices, again keeping the root intact. Finally, make perpendicular cuts down through the vertical slices you made.

Step 11

Cut the green onions into white and green parts. Save the green part for garnish. Mince the white part into small pieces for the filling.

Step 12

Cut off and discard the root end of the king oyster mushrooms. Cut the mushrooms into sticks and then mince them.

Step 13

Discard the stems of the shiitake mushrooms. Cut the mushroom caps into strips, and then mince them.

Step 14

To a large bowl, add the onion, two kinds of mushrooms, carrots, and white part of the green onions. Then, add the minced garlic (I use my garlic press here).

Step 15

Peel and grate the ginger. Add 1 tsp of the grated ginger plus any juice to the filling ingredients (for 80 gyoza).

Step 16

Squeeze the liquid from the cabbage. Add the cabbage to the bowl with the other ingredients.

Step 17

Remove the paper towel and slice the tofu into thin slabs roughly ⅛ inch (3 mm) thickness (pencil width).

Step 18

Next, cut the tofu slabs into sticks, and then cut the sticks into cubes.

Step 19

Add the tofu cubes and the seasonings mixture to the bowl. Mix it all together. Once the ingredients are well coated with the seasonings, add the potato starch and mix thoroughly. If the filling seems watery, add more potato starch to absorb any extra moisture.

Step 20

Prepare a tray or plate with parchment paper and sprinkle some potato starch (cornstarch). This will prevent the gyoza from sticking to the paper.

Step 21

Take a wrapper and place it in the palm of your non-dominant hand. Use a teaspoon to scoop a small amount of filling and put it in the center of the wrapper. Dip one finger in a bowl of water and draw a circle around the outer ¼ inch (6 mm) of the wrapper with your wet finger until it’s moistened all around.

Step 22

Here, I show you how to fold the gyoza with the pleats leaning toward the center. Fold the wrapper in half over the filling and pinch it in the center with your fingers, but don’t seal it yet. Using the thumb and index finger of your right hand, start making a pleat about every ¼ inch (6 mm) on the top part of the wrapper from the center toward the right side, making 3-4 pleats.

Step 23

As you fold each pleat, press the folded pleat tightly against the back part of the wrapper using your other thumb and index finger. Make 3-4 pleats.

Step 24

Continue with the left side of the gyoza. Making 3-4 pleats with your left hand, starting in the center and moving toward the left side.

Step 25

Press the pleats tightly, making sure there are no air pockets. Shape the gyoza to look pretty. Repeat folding the remaining wrappers. Tip: See my Gyoza recipe for an alternative folding method where the pleats all lean toward one side.

Step 26

This recipe may make more gyoza than you wish to serve now, so I'll show you how to freeze the extra to cook later. Before the filling starts to release moisture and make the wrappers soggy, cover the gyoza with plastic wrap and “flash freeze” them in the freezer until solid (or at least frozen on the outside). Make sure to lay out the gyoza in a single layer on a sheet pan or plate. Once the gyoza are solid, pack them in an airtight bag. Because you flash froze them, the gyoza won’t stick to each other in the bag. You can store the gyoza in the freezer for up to a month. When you're ready to use the gyoza, do not defrost them. Place the frozen gyoza in your frying pan and steam them for an extra 1-2 minutes.

Step 27

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, place the gyoza in a single layer, flat side down in a circular pattern (or place them in two rows).

Step 28

Cook until the bottoms of the gyoza turn golden brown, about 3 minutes. Next, add ¼ cup (60 ml) of water to the pan.

Step 29

Immediately cover with a lid and steam the gyoza for about 3 minutes or until most of the water evaporates.

Step 30

Remove the lid to evaporate any remaining water. Drizzle 1 tsp sesame oil around the gyoza in the frying pan.

Step 31

Cook, uncovered, until the bottom of the gyoza is golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a plate and serve with the dipping sauce. For the dipping sauce, combine the sauce ingredients in a small plate and mix it all together.

Step 32

Cut the green part of the green onion and garnish, if you'd like.

Step 33

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for a month.