To make the Japanese Gyoza, start by finely chopping the cabbage using a large, sharp knife.

Add the cabbage to a bowl and sprinkle salt on top.

Mix this through well and leave to the side for a few minutes.

Finely chop the garlic chives and leave these to the side as well.

Get an empty bowl and the bowl with your cabbage.

Pick up portions of the cabbage using your hands and squeeze out the excess water, then transfer this into the empty bowl. Repeat until all of the cabbage is strained.

In a large mixing bowl, add the pork mince, cabbage and garlic chives.

Season the ingredients of your Japanese Gyoza by grating a garlic clove inside as well as a small pice of ginger.

Then, add a sprinkle of salt and pepper, along with a generous drizzle of Japanese soy sauce.

Finally, add ⅓ glass of mirin (cooking sake) and mix through really well using your hands for a few minutes.

If you didn’t add all of your garlic chives, you can add some more now!

Once you have mixed the ingredients for the Japanese Gyoza really well, leave them to rest for 10-15 minutes.

Then, place an individual wrapper into the palm of your hand and using a tablespoon, scoop out a spoonful of the pork mixture and place it in the centre.

Dip your index finger into a small dish of water and spread the water on the edge of one side of the wrapper. Then, fold the wrapper over and create small pleats, starting from the centre of the wrapper and folding down either side.(It can get tricky so watch my video closely to see the professionals wrap!)

Once you have finished wrapping them all up, put a large fry pan on the stove on medium heat.

Add up to 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and create a line of Japanese Gyoza in the centre.

Put the lid on the fry pan and leave to cook for 2 minutes.

Remove the lid and add in a glass of room temperature water and quickly close the lid again so the Gyoza can steam and cook right through.

Leave to steam for another 2 minutes.

DIPPING SAUCE:

In a small mixing bowl, add ⅓ glass white vinegar, a generous drizzle of soy sauce and a few drops of La Yu. Mix together well using a spoon and pour into as many small sauce plates as you need for serving.

E ora si mangia, Vincenzo’s Plate….Enjoy!