Gyoza on the left, tofu-turkey patties on the right!
I'm half Japanese and an eighth Chinese, so loving Asian foods just seems sort of obvious. One of the things I stopped eating when I decided to be healthier was gyoza (i.e. the little dumplings that have all sorts of names depending what Asian culture you're talking about). I call it gyoza, my little sister calls it mandoo, my boyfriend calls it wonton, my cousin just says dimsum, and the list goes on.
There are lots of different fillings, different preparation methods, different wrapper recipes, blah blah blah blah. Most of the times I've bought them, they've been filled with pork and veggies....I normally say no to pork these days; it has too much fat. Also, a lot of places fry them, which adds more unnecessary oil to the mix. BUT...I was at a point where I missed it so much that I decided to just try and make it myself...for the first time ever. I was amazed that they didn't actually turn out that bad, hahaha.
There are lots of different fillings, different preparation methods, different wrapper recipes, blah blah blah blah. Most of the times I've bought them, they've been filled with pork and veggies....I normally say no to pork these days; it has too much fat. Also, a lot of places fry them, which adds more unnecessary oil to the mix. BUT...I was at a point where I missed it so much that I decided to just try and make it myself...for the first time ever. I was amazed that they didn't actually turn out that bad, hahaha.
The whole process ended up being a lot easier than I thought it would be, but that probably has more to do with the fact that I bought the wrappers and pre-julliened veggies instead of making them myself, shhh! Don't tell! (^_~) I also used two leftover tofu-turkey patties (click on the link for the recipe!) that I had made a few days earlier, so there was even less to do...but it's a great recipe nonetheless. I kind of feel like the hardest part was just assembling all the parts...it's so tedious trying to crimp all the wrappers once you fill them!
Cooking them was sort of an issue, too. I wanted to steam these little suckers, but I don't own one of those bamboo steamers, so I had to improvise. I place a pancake/omelette ring in a large pan, put an upside down plate on the ring, put the gyoza on the upside down plate, filled the bottom of the pan with water, and boiled it with the pan being covered. My very own ghetto steamer. In case you're wondering about the ring under the plate, I tried it without the ring first...but the bubbles kept making the plate rattle and move as they tried to escape from under the plate. I didn't want the plate suddenly exploding upwards or something, so I used the ring to keep the plate elevated above the water. It allows all the air bubbles to escape from under the plate without making all the rattling sounds, yay!
I know it sounds difficult....but if you missed gyoza as much as I did, you'd go through the trouble. It's worth it! :D
Cooking them was sort of an issue, too. I wanted to steam these little suckers, but I don't own one of those bamboo steamers, so I had to improvise. I place a pancake/omelette ring in a large pan, put an upside down plate on the ring, put the gyoza on the upside down plate, filled the bottom of the pan with water, and boiled it with the pan being covered. My very own ghetto steamer. In case you're wondering about the ring under the plate, I tried it without the ring first...but the bubbles kept making the plate rattle and move as they tried to escape from under the plate. I didn't want the plate suddenly exploding upwards or something, so I used the ring to keep the plate elevated above the water. It allows all the air bubbles to escape from under the plate without making all the rattling sounds, yay!
I know it sounds difficult....but if you missed gyoza as much as I did, you'd go through the trouble. It's worth it! :D
Tofu-Turkey-Veggie Gyoza
Makes 20-25 gyoza Ingredients: (Some pictured to the right to help you out; click on them to enlarge the photos)
Directions:
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