Tekitouna Gyoza (適当なギョーザ )

Ingredients
Ingredient amounts are rough if they exist, and intended only to give you a ballpark idea. You can't go that wrong if you follow your preferences.
Filling:
  • 1.5 pounds ground pork
  • 1 whole head garlic, diced (I like garlicky gyoza, you may, of course, use less)
  • A small or medium knob of ginger, grated
  • Cabbage or nappa cabbage, shredded (I use quite  a bit, it gives the filling a lighter texture).
  • Nira chives (garlic chives), most of a bunch, finely chopped
  • ~2/3T Mirin
  • ~1 T Soy sauce
  • ~1 T Sesame oil
  • 1 Egg
  • Salt
  • Pepper
Gyoza skins (this made about 1.5 packages worth. A good rule of thumb is that 1 pound of meat is about 1 package of gyoza.)


Instructions
I was taught to make these by a friend of mine who learned how to cook Japanese food as part of his training to become a kodo drummer in Japan.

Tekitou means makeshift or thrown together. Basically these are gyoza that will turn out well no matter what.

Instructions:
Just mix all the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Most of the work is in the chopping. I like to knead it together with my hands until the texture is smooth.

To form gyoza:
Brush off excess flour from the gyoza skin you're using.
Form a small amount of filling into a ball or (American) football shape in the center of a gyoza skin.
Wet a finger with water and run across half the circumference. Close the gyoza into a half-circle and make 4-5 pleats in the closed wrapper. Put on wax paper and bend so that the bottom looks like a crescent shape.
This is much easier than it sounds.

You can now cook them or freeze for later.

To freeze:
Place gyoza on a wax paper-covered cookie sheet so that they're not touching and freeze. Once frozen, you can put them in ziploc and put into the freezer again for long-term storage. This is so the gyoza don't freeze together.

To cook:
Heat oil in a frying pan. Put gyoza in, making sure to keep the pan moving so they don't stick to the bottom. After they brown, dump in a little bit of water and cover until cooked thoroughly. Serve with a mixture of soy, vinegar, sesame oil and garlic or ginger.