Cooking Together Japanese Recipes – Gyoza, Donburi, Daifuku

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Cooking Together Japanese Recipes – Gyoza, Donburi, Daifuku

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Cooking Together Japanese Recipes

Our cooking together cookery classes are as much about learning to cook as they are a sociable experience. We hope you enjoyed your evening and are ready to recreate the dishes again.

We Cooked:

Chicken Gyoza – Starter 

Ingredients: makes 8

Filling: 

  • 70g chicken thigh mince or pork mince
  • 2-3 leaves of Chinese leaf cabbage
  • 1 stalk spring onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • Thumb of ginger
  • Dash salt, pepper, MSG (optional)
  • ½ tsp sesame oil
  • 8 sheets MLS dumpling wrappers 
  • 1 tsp cooking oil
  • 1 tsp cornflour  

Dipping sauce: Kikkoman Ponzu / Chilli Oil  

Method

  1. Finely dice the Chinese leaf cabbage and place in a dish. Add a sprinkle of salt to it and massage it into the cabbage to release moisture. Leave for 5-10 minutes. 
  1. Meanwhile prepare the aromatics – finely chop the garlic, spring onion and ginger and place in mixing bowl. 
  1. Add chicken or sweet potato and seasonings including sesame oil. 
  1. Squeeze as much moisture out of the cabbage as you can before adding this to the mixture. 
  1. Combine everything well. Once fully incorporated, mix the filling vigorously in one direction until it reaches the consistency of a sticky paste. If using meats like chicken or pork, you will start to notice white streaks along the sides of the mixing bowl (this is the fats breaking down and will result in a much more tender and juicy bite). 
  1. Wrap gyoza. 
  1. In a non–stick pan, brown the flat sides of the gyoza with a teaspoon of neutral oil (sunflower, vegetable or rapeseed) – about 2 minutes until golden brown. 
  1. Pour in a cornstarch slurry (1:4 cornflour to water) and immediately cover with a lid. Steam for 4-5 minutes. 
  1. Remove the lid and allow any remaining liquid to evaporate before flipping onto serving plate. 

Serve with ponzu and chilli oil.

Sweet Potato Gyoza – Starter

Ingredients – Serves 2

  • 100g shredded cabbage (Nappa or any other softer white/green cabbage)
  • 1/2 block of diced tofu
  • 100g mashed sweet potato (plain, unseasoned)
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1 minced garlic cloves
  • 1 spring onion
  • 1tbsp of crispy-fried onions
  • 1tsp of soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoons white miso paste
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon caster sugar
  • 6-10 gyoza wrappers

Method:

  1. To make the sweet potato puree/mash – simply roast the whole sweet potatoes in their skins until super soft.  Then when cooled, remove the skin.  Can be done a day in advance.
  2. Sprinkle the salt over the minced cabbage in a small bowl. Stir and leave it for 10 minutes. Squeeze the cabbage firmly in a sieve to drain and discard the excess water. Transfer the minced cabbage into a large deep bowl.
  3. Add the sweet potato puree, ginger, garlic, spring onion, miso paste, one teaspoon of sesame oil and the sugar and all the other ingredients. Mix everything together with a wooden spoon.
  4. Line a large tray with baking paper. Fill a small cup with cold water.
    Place a gyoza wrapper on a flat dry surface and put a heaped teaspoon of the sweet potato mixture in the centre (see picture above).
    Dip one finger in the cold water and trace a line along half the edge of the gyoza wrapper (see picture above).
    Fold the wrapper over to enclose the filling. Pinch the wrapper in the centre at the top to seal that spot.
    Holding the filled wrapper in your left hand (or right one if you are left-handed), pleat the top of the wrapper (see pictures above). Set aside on the lined tray keeping the edge up. Repeat with the rest of the gyoza dumplings.
  5. For the cooking part, use a large frying pan or skillet with a tight-fitting lid.
    Put the pan over a medium heat and add one teaspoon of sesame oil. When it is hot, place half the gyoza in the pan (or as many that will fit) with their edge up. Cook for about 3 minutes or until the bottom of the gyoza is golden.
    Add in 60ml of the cold water and cover immediately with the lid. Steam for about 2 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated.
    Uncover, let the water evaporate completely, then add one teaspoon of sesame oil. Cook until the gyoza is crispy in the bottom (when shaking the pan, the dumplings should slide; if not, set the pan aside and cover with the lid for another 2 or 3 minutes).
    The gyoza dumplings should be slightly translucent and the filling should be firm.
  6. Flip the gyoza dumplings on a large serving plate, browned surface up. Cover with foil while cooking the other batch (repeat the cooking actions) if you are making them all in one go.
    Serve with the dipping sauce (mix the ingredients in a small bowl).

Donburi – Main

Ingredients:

  • 75g Sushi rice
  • ½ cup Rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp Sugar
  • 2 tsp Salt

Toppings:

  • 10-15 edamame shelled
  • Handful bean sprouts
  • 30g Salmon sashimi or marinade king oyster mushroom
  • Kizami pickled ginger
  • ¼ Cucumber
  • ¼ Avocado
  • 1 stalk spring onion

Method:

If using: marinade King Oyster Mushroom in 1tsp of soy sauce and mirin, then coat in potato starch and pan fry to crisp up.

  1. Cook sushi rice.
  2. In a saucepan, add rice vinegar sugar and salt and stir until granules are fully dissolved – don’t bring it to a boil.
  3. Season the rice and allow it to sit whilst preparing the toppings.
  4. Blanch edamame in hot water for 2 mins.
  5. Slice salmon.
  6. Chop cucumber and avocado.
  7. Stir fry bean sprouts then add a drop of soy sauce at the end, once cooked.
  8. Arrange toppings aesthetically over rice.
To serve: sprinkle with Furikake, recipe below and Kewpie roasted sesame dressing.

Furikake – Savoury-Sweet Seasoning

This was pre made for you, it is usually available in Asian supermarkets or make your own.

Ingredients:

  • ⁠ ⁠2-3 roasted nori sheets
  • ⁠ ½ tsp ⁠⁠salt
  • ⁠ ⁠⁠2 tsp msg powder – use Ajinomoto
  • ⁠ 2 tbsp ⁠⁠fried shallots
  • ⁠ ⁠⁠1/2 cup white sesame seeds

Method:

  1. Whizz all up in a food processor.

Daifuku – Additional Dessert Option

Ingredients:

Filling:

  • 1 large strawberry
  • 20g red bean paste

Mochi:

  • ¾ cup glutinous rice flour
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¾ cup water
  • ½ corn-starch

Method:

  1. Wash strawberry and cut off the stem.
  2. Encase strawberry in red bean paste and allow to chill to harden.
  3. In a bowl, combine glutinous rice flour, sugar and water. Mix.
  4. Loosely cover with clingfilm and microwave on high for 1 minute.
  5. Stir and fold with a wet rubber or silicone spatula.
  6. Cover loosely and microwave again for another minute.
  7. The colour will turn from white to translucent.
  8. Dust worktop with cornflour and place mochi dough on top.
  9. Dust rolling pin with cornflour and carefully thin the dough.
  10. Wrap over the red bean coated strawberry.

Midori’s Favourite brands to Use

Available in Asian supermarkets such as Hang Won Hong, W.H.Lungs or Wing Yip

image of recommended brands to food sorcery cookery school
Furikake - or make your own
Japanese Mayonnaise
image of recommended brands to food sorcery cookery school
Best for Japanese
Imge of Ingredients for Thai cookery classes at Food Sorcery Manchester and Didsbury
King Oyster Mushrooms
image of Sesame kewpie sauce at Food Sorcery
Kewpie Dressing Sauce
image of recommended brands to food sorcery cookery school
Thicker so hold together better
image of Ponzu at Food Sorcery Manchester
Best for Japanese
Dessert Recipes

Use the link to explore our favourites

We Hope You Enjoyed The Class

If you have any feedback about the class or questions for chef please do get in touch. Email: lovetocook@foodsorcery.co.uk

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