Gyoza=little pan fried dumplings filled with yummy goodness! A little while back I had the pleasure of learning how to make these tasty gyoza from a friend, Kim, who also happens to be an amazing chef. When I tasted the first one I was immediately hooked and I knew that this would be my new favorite go to appetizer. I’ve made them so many times since then and they are always a big hit when friends are over. Be prepared to make a bunch of these, trust me, they’ll all disappear fast!
I absolutely love shiitake mushrooms! I think they have the best texture and flavor of any mushroom.
Place a small amount of the filling in the middle of the won ton wrapper. A little bit goes a long way and you don’t want the filling to seep out while it cooks.
I prep as many as I can with the amount of filling that I make and lay them out on a sheet pan before I start cooking them.
- FILLING
- 4-6 fresh shiitake mushrooms, wiped clean
- 2 scallions
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1T pine nuts, toasted
- ½t sea salt
- coconut oil
- 20-25 won ton wrappers
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- SAUCE
- ¼c tamari
- 2" piece fresh ginger. peeled & sliced thin
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
- 1t sesame oil
- 2T rice wine vinegar
- 1t chili paste
- fresh cilantro, chopped
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- OTHER
- food processor
- large skillet
- sauce pan
- small bowl of water
- sheet pan
- For the filling, heat up a large skillet on medium heat and add about 2T coconut oil. Slice the shiitakes about ¼" wide and add them to the skillet in a single layer. Let them brown on one side before tossing them and turning them over. They should be glossy and softened with a bit of brown around the edges.
- Transfer the mushrooms to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the S blade and add the rest of the filling ingredients. Set the skillet aside.
- Pulse a few times until everything is incorporated but making sure that the mixture is still coarse. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- On a flat surface lay out one of the won ton wrappers and place about 1t of the filling in the center. Dip your finger in the water and run it along the edges of the wrapper, about ¼" wide. Lift up one of the corners and fold the wrapper over the filling and press to seal the edges. Make sure there are no open spots and that the filling doesn't come out. If the filling started to come out, you can decrease the amount of filling in the next one. Place the filled gyoza onto a sheet pan.
- Repeat until all of the filling is used lining up the filled gyoza neatly onto the sheet pan.
- Make the sauce by combining all of the ingredients for the sauce...taste and adjust seasonings. The ginger and garlic will add more flavor to the sauce the longer it sits.
- In a medium saucepan bring some water, about ½ way full, up to a boil then lower the heat to simmer. One at a time, gently place the filled gyoza in one layer into the simmering water without touching each other.
- While the gyoza are simmering, heat up the skillet that you cooked the mushrooms in with about 2T of coconut oil.
- Carefully remove the gyoza from the water with a flat strainer to remove all of the extra water. Remember, you're going to be placing these into hot oil so you want them to be as dry as possible. If you have a splatter screen, that would be helpful for this next step.
- Place the gyoza gently into the skillet with the hot coconut oil. They will splatter, so be very careful.
- Cook them for about 2-3 minutes until they are browned just on one side.
- Transfer them onto a serving plate.
- Top with the sauce and fresh cilantro.
- enjoy!
*if you can't find fresh shiitakes, you can substitute with cremini mushrooms
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