Shrimp Gyoza

For my birthday dinner last night, I went to an “Asian Wraps” cooking seminar. There were four dishes, all of them excellent. I did most of the preparation and cooking of the shrimp gyoza below.

Shrimp Gyoza (makes about 30) — from Naomi Kakiuchi (www.nuculinary.com)

• 2 T cilantro leaves
• ³/₄ pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 large egg white
• 1 ¹/₂ chile oil
• 1 ¹/₂ sesame oil
• 2 t soy sauce
• 1 carrot, grated
• ³/₄ C Napa cabbage, chopped (about 2 ounces)
• ¹/₂ t freshly grated ginger
• 2 small scallions, finely chopped
• ¹/₂ t salt
• 1 pinch of pepper
• 1 package 3″ round dumpling wrappers
• 4 T peanut oil
• small bowl with water

Dipping Sauce:

• 1 ¹/₂ chile oil
• 1 T toasted sesame oil
• 1 t rice wine vinegar
• 1 scallion, sliced

1. Finely chop 1 tablespoon of the cilantro and half of the shrimp by hand. Set aside. (This is done to give the ingredients some texture.
2. In a food processor, combine the remaining shrimp, egg white, chile oil, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Puree into a smooth paste. Add the cilantro and shrimp from the previous step.
3. Mix in the carrot, cabbage, ginger, scallions, shallot and pepper.
4. Place 1 teaspoon of filling toward front of dumpling wrapper. Moisten a finger and dab half of the dumpling wrapper with water. Fold the center, to a taco shape, and pinch together. On one side of the wrapper, add a little pleat, and pinch the wrapper together. (The pleat gives it a curved form that will help it stand up.)
5. Heat 2T of the peanut oil in a seasoned cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Arrange half the gyozas in the skillet, taking care that they don’t touch.
6. This is where it gets dangerous… Put a cover on the pan, move it back slightly, and pour in about 1/2 C of water. The water will splatter if the pan is not sufficiently covered. What this does is lets the dumplings steam. When the water boils off, they continue to cook on the bottom.
7. Cook about 7 minutes, then remove the cover. Remove when the bottoms are browned, about 2 more minutes. Repeat with the second batch.
8. While the dumplings are cooking, whisk together the ingredients for the dipping sauce.

If you prefer a spicier dipping sauce, add some freshly grated ginger.