Vegan Vegetable Gyoza (Pan-Fried Dumplings)

Ingredients

For 4 portions

• 🌾 250g flour
• 🥤 180ml tap water
• 🧂 0.75 Tsp salt
• 🥬 200g chinese cabbage
• 🍄 100g shiitake mushrooms
• 🥬 100g spinach
• 🌾 150g tofu
• 🧅 2 medium spring onions
• 🧄 2 cloves garlic
• 🪴 10g ginger
• 🥣 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 🏺 2 Tsp sesame oil
• 🏺 2 Tbsp sunflower oil
• 🥣 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 🌶️ 1 Tsp chilli oil

Method

1. Makes about 28 gyoza. Short on time? Use a packet of ready-made gyoza wrappers (check they're egg-free) and skip steps 1–2 and 6.
2. Make the dough: put the flour and ¼ tsp of the salt in a bowl. Pour in 120 ml of just-boiled water and stir with chopsticks or a fork until shaggy. When cool enough to touch, add 1–2 tablespoons cold water if needed and knead for 5 minutes until smooth and soft, like an earlobe.
3. Wrap the dough and rest it for 30 minutes at room temperature (this makes it easy to roll thin).
4. Make the filling while it rests: very finely chop the Chinese cabbage, toss with the remaining ½ tsp salt and leave 10 minutes. Squeeze it hard in your hands or a clean tea towel to remove as much water as possible.
5. Finely chop the shiitake and spring onions. Blanch the spinach for 30 seconds, cool under cold water, squeeze dry and chop finely. Crumble the tofu with your fingers and pat dry. Grate the garlic and ginger.
6. Mix all the filling ingredients with 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and the sesame oil. Taste and add a little more soy if needed.
7. Roll the dough into a log, cut into 28 equal pieces and roll each into a thin circle about 8 cm across (keep the rest covered so they don't dry out).
8. Fill: put a heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre of a wrapper. Wet the edge with water, fold in half and pinch the top together, then make 4–5 small pleats along one side, pressing each against the flat side to seal. Stand the gyoza on a floured tray, flat side down.
9. Cook in batches: heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan with a lid over medium-high heat. Arrange the gyoza flat side down, close together. Fry for 2–3 minutes until the bottoms are golden.
10. Pour in 60 ml of water (stand back – it spits), cover immediately and steam for 4–5 minutes until the water has gone and the wrappers look translucent.
11. Uncover and cook 1 more minute so the bottoms crisp up again. Slide out onto a plate, crispy side up.
12. Dipping sauce: mix the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce with the rice vinegar and chilli oil. Serve the gyoza hot with the sauce.
13. Freezing tip: freeze uncooked gyoza on a tray, then bag them. Cook from frozen, adding 2 extra minutes of steaming.