When I think about dumplings, I fondly reminisce about the times my family and I would visit my grandma in Malaysia, and the whole family would gather at her place to make dumplings from scratch with her guidance. We'd form an assembly line – some of us were in charge of rolling out the dough, while some of us filled and folded the dumplings. I remember Grandma holding my tiny hands in hers, while she patiently guided me as I shaped the dumplings, pleat by pleat.
There was something remarkably mesmerising and hypnotic in the way she handled each dumpling and created uniform pleats with so much grace and ease. Occasionally, I’d catch her scanning through the house quickly, only to have a tiny smile sneak up on her face knowing that our family’s back together again. That moment alone is enough to warm my heart even till this day; the thought that at the end of it all, family and togetherness is what matters most.
At Bakestarters, we’ve laughed, cried and grown so much together that work really doesn’t feel like work when your colleagues pretty much feel like your second family. For the third part of our series of recipes with Bruno by Cote Maison, one of us suggested making dumplings together using the Bruno Hotplate and well, we did it!
Our recipe includes instructions for making the gyoza skin from scratch, just like how Grandma used to make it. To make it easier when rolling out the individual dumpling skins later, shape your dough into a log and cut it into equal portions before rolling each one of them into a little round. If you have any remaining dough, keep it under a damp tea towel or kitchen towel to prevent the dough from drying out ‘cause no one likes a rough and tough dumpling.
If you’re in a pinch, store-bought dumpling skins would work just as well. Be sure to make a small portion of cornstarch slurry (2 parts water to 1 part cornstarch) to seal your store-bought dumpling skin! Fresh dumpling dough is sticky enough and won’t need any water to seal and bind.
When kneading and rolling out the dough, things may get a little sticky! To help with this, sprinkle a small amount of flour on the dough and on the countertop you’re working on. Too much flour will result in dough that’s too tough and gummy once its cooked, so you’ll want to be light-handed with it and only add more when needed!
The filling for your dumplings is entirely up to you! We kept things simple and used a combination of pork, cabbage and chives. Feel free to substitute the meat for other forms of protein (minced prawns/minced chicken are our favourite substitutions). We also decided to change things up a little and added some Japanese cooking sake, garlic powder and grated ginger to enhance the taste of the filling and get rid of any overwhelming pork flavour.
This recipe makes approximately 40 dumplings which is enough to share amongst family and friends in one sitting. However, if you're only going to consume a small amount, you can either halve this recipe or freeze any uncooked dumplings on the baking sheet for 1 hour before transferring them into a large freezer bag to freeze. By freezing the dumplings separately first, you will prevent them from sticking together, making things a lot easier the next time you want to cook them!
There are many different folding techniques for gyozas such as braiding and twisting which are both fairly simple to do, so you can experiment on your own to see which you prefer. We decided on a one-sided pleat fold, which means folding pleats on only one half of the dumpling wrapper, while pressing it against the other half. This creates that signature crescent shape of gyozas that you see in restaurants.
If you have the Bruno Takoyaki attachment, you may fold the corners of the dumplings together and place them in the attachment to make cute rounded bases for unique looking gyozas that resemble tulips! We also took the classic route and used the flat pan for regular gyozas.
Adding water only in the later half of the cooking time gives the base of the dumplings enough time to form that crisp, golden brown layer that’s unique to gyozas. The added steam from the water helps to cook out the skin on the top, making it silky smooth and tender. The Bruno Hotplate is also non-stick which made cleaning up a breeze!
Now, here comes the most exciting part of making the dish - serving it up and getting to enjoy the spoils of your hard work! Gyozas are usually served with a simple dipping sauce, and everyone has their own preference. Some combine soy sauce and chilli oil while some use black vinegar and ginger; those who love the heat can even try a mixture of sweet chilli sauce and sriracha sauce! Whichever team you’re on, you’ll be glad to know that these dumplings are versatile and would go well with any. We served ours with a mix of 1 tbsp black vinegar, ½ tsp sesame oil and finely sliced ginger.
Watch the video tutorial:
No Bruno Hotplate? You may also use a non-stick pan!
For the skin:
300g (and more for dusting) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
⅔ cup (140g) just-boiled water
⅓ cup (70g) cold water
For the filling:
500g Cabbage/wombok
250g Pork mince
1 tbsp Chives, minced
1/2 tbsp Salt
3-4 shiitake mushroom
3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp Sesame oil
1 tbsp Soy sauce
1 tbsp sake
1/4 tbsp White pepper
½ tbsp Garlic powder
1 tbsp Grated ginger
Gyoza Skin
Start by heating 140g of water in a small saucepan until it just comes to a boil. Turn off the heat and stir in the salt until dissolved.
Place the flour into a large bowl then pour the boiled, salted water in. Mix with a wooden spoon, then add in the 70g cold water. Continue mixing with a wooden spoon. Then, start kneading in the bowl using your hands until it starts to come together.
After 2 mins, transfer dough and loose flour pieces onto a countertop and continue kneading for another 3-5mins. At this point, the dough should have already come together and start to form a smooth ball.
After 5 mins of kneading, place the dough ball in a clean, lightly floured bowl. Cover dough with a damp paper towel, then cling wrap the bowl and set aside for 20-30mins while you start on the filling.
Gyoza Filling
Heat some water in a small saucepan. Add the dried mushrooms and leave to boil for 10-20mins while you continue with the rest of the filling.
Rinse wombok cabbage leaves individually, then start slicing into thin strips. Next, dice the wombok into tiny pieces and transfer into a bowl. Sprinkle salt over and mix through thoroughly using your hands or a spoon. Set aside.
Mince chives and grate ginger, set aside. Remove the pot containing mushrooms from heat and drain. Dice mushrooms into small pieces and set aside.
Using a cheesecloth or your hands, squeeze diced cabbage in small batches until most of the water comes out. Discard water and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine minced pork, minced chives, sesame oil, soy sauce, sake, white pepper, garlic powder, grated ginger, and diced mushrooms. Mix until well combined.
Add cabbage and mix until well combined. Set aside.
Assembly
Turn out rested dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide gyoza dough in half using a bench scraper, then place one half back into the bowl under a damp kitchen towel.
Gently knead and slowly roll the dough out into a sausage shape that resembles a long snake.
Using your bench scraper, divide one half of the dough into 20 equal portions, each measuring about 1 inch by 1 inch.
Roll each piece gently into a ball, then set aside under a damp paper towel as you work on rolling out each piece.
Using the palms of your hands, flatten each portion of dough into a disc. Then, use a rolling pin to further roll the disc out into a round of about 3-4 inch diameter. Focus on making the edges thinner than the centre of the dough by applying more pressure when you're rolling towards the sides.
Take about ½ - ¾ tablespoon of filling and place in the centre of gyoza skin. To pleat the dough, take two opposite ends of the dough skin and press them together. Then, start pleating towards the right and the left, starting from the pressed part respectively. This creates the signature crescent moon shape for gyozas as it curves inwards.
Place folded gyozas on a floured baking sheet or parchment paper. Cover loosely with a damp paper towel so the dumplings don’t dry out.
Repeat steps 5-7 for remaining dough until all gyozas are completed. Repeat steps 2-8 for the remaining half of the dough.
Cooking
Preheat Bruno Hotplate on low-medium heat for 3-5mins, or until the indicator light has turned off. Then lower the heat setting to low.
For Takoyaki pan:
- Use a pastry brush to brush 16 cavities in the middle with oil, leaving the left and right most columns empty.
- Pinch the ends of each gyoza together, forming a round shape.
- Place one gyoza in each of the 16 cavities.
- Leave to cook uncovered for about 3-4mins, or until the base of gyozas have turned golden brown and crisped up slightly.
- Pour some water into the left and right most cavities, then immediately cover the Bruno Hotplate with the lid.
- Cover and let dumplings steam for another 3-4 mins or until gyoza skin turns slightly more translucent and cooked. Add more water if necessary.
For Hotplate/Non-Stick pan:
- Use a pastry brush to brush oil all over the hotplate.
- Place gyozas on pan and leave a 1cm gap between each dumpling so they don’t stick to each other.
- Leave to cook uncovered for about 3-4mins, or until the base of gyozas have turned golden brown and crisped up slightly.
- Pour some water directly onto pan, then immediately cover the Bruno Hotplate with the lid.
- Cover and let dumplings steam for another 3-4 mins or until gyoza skin turns slightly more translucent and cooked. Add more water if necessary.
Remove gyozas from the hotplate and serve with your preferred dipping sauce!
Whether you're whipping up a two-layered cake with your partner, helping Grandma out in the kitchen, or folding gyoza after gyoza in the kitchen with your loved ones, the power of food to bond and bring people together is undeniable.
While these gyozas can be cooked in a non-stick pan over the stove, what we enjoyed about using the Bruno Hotplate/Takoyaki Pan is the electric heating feature, cool-touch side handles, and non-stick interchangeable pans that helped to make the entire cooking and cleaning experience a clean, convenient, and hassle-free one. Plus, the vintage design and bright red shade also adds a stylish touch for cooking at the table as you eat. Besides savoury food, the hotplate can be used for dessert recipes too! Check out how we made these Orange Dark Chocolate Mini Crepe Cakes using the Bruno Hotplate here.
Order A Bruno Hotplate Set Here
________
This post and recipe were developed specially for Bruno, by Bakestarters.
Trying this recipe out? Make sure you hashtag #bakestarters on Instagram so we can see your wonderful creations!
Read Next: Make-Ahead White Chocolate Chip Espresso Muffins For Breakfasts On The Go
Comments will be approved before showing up.
