Yesterday's dumplings or
gyoza were filled with mung beans, water chestnuts, celery, red onion and ginger, processed in a Cuisinart mini-prep machine. For a dipping-sauce, I combined hand-squeezed orange juice, organic shoyu sauce, and home-made red-chile sesame oil. I also offered Edmond Fallot authentic
moutarde de Dijon.
Courtesy of M-Jeanne de Mesterton, The Elegant Cook
Won-ton skins are dipped in water and laid on a cutting board for a few minutes to soften before filling, which makes them easier to crimp. Then, filling is applied to the centre of each skin using a teaspoon or Swedish "meatballer" before the dumplings are folded over and sealed. As you see here, the dumplings/gyoza do not necessarily all look alike when finished. My gyoza are sautéed on each side in safflower and/or sesame oil until golden brown. These dumplings may be steamed after frying by adding a half-cup of water or green tea to the pan and covering with heat for three minutes, or just be dipped or drenched with sauce. A sprinkling of gomasio or toasted, salted sesame seeds is a welcome garnish for these simple dumplings. Dumplings are a great vehicle for leftover meats, beans and vegetables. "Necessity is the Mother of Invention", and with your chosen leftovers or ingredients combined into a dumpling, you may just invent a family-favourite.
