Pork Gyoza, · 26 gyoza

Cut the thick core out of 170 g green cabbage, slice the leaves into 1 cm (⅜ in) strips, then chop crosswise until very fine. Go over the thick white ribs again until they are minced.

Rub 2.5 ml Diamond Crystal kosher salt into the cabbage with your hands and leave it in a bowl to wilt while you prepare everything else.

Mince 1 scallion and 1 fresh shiitake mushroom. Grate 2.5 ml fresh ginger with its juice and press 1 clove garlic.

Put 115 g ground pork in a large bowl with the scallions, shiitake, ginger and garlic, 5 ml sake, 5 ml toasted sesame oil, 5 ml soy sauce and 0.3 ml black pepper. Knead by hand until the mixture turns pale and sticky.

Squeeze the cabbage hard by the handful to get rid of its water, add it to the pork and knead until evenly mixed.

Set out a small bowl of 30 ml water, for sealing and a baking sheet lined with parchment or dusted with 30 ml potato starch or cornstarch, for dusting the tray. Keep 26 round gyoza wrappers covered with a damp towel at all times.

Hold a wrapper in your palm, put a level tablespoon of filling in the centre and press it flat to push out air. Wet the outer 6 mm (¼ in) of the wrapper all the way round with a fingertip.

Fold the wrapper in half and pinch it together at the top centre. On each side of the centre, fold three or four pleats about 6 mm (¼ in) apart into the front half, pressing each firmly onto the back half.

Give the dumpling a final squeeze along the seam, then press the bottom flat so it stands upright. Set it on the tray under plastic wrap and fold the rest. Makes 26 gyoza.

Heat the frying pan over medium heat, then add 7.5 ml neutral oil, per pan. Brush any starch off the bottoms of the gyoza.

Arrange the gyoza flat side down in a single layer, in a circle or rows, not quite touching. Fry until the bottoms are golden and release from the pan.

Pour in 59 ml water, per pan, cover immediately and steam until most of the water has gone. Frozen gyoza need 1 min to 2 min longer.

Uncover and cook until the last of the water evaporates, about 1 min. Drizzle 2.5 ml toasted sesame oil, per pan around the gyoza and fry until the bottoms are deep golden and crisp.

For each person, mix a quarter of the 30 ml soy sauce and 30 ml unseasoned rice vinegar in a small dish with a few drops of 1 ml la-yu (Japanese chili oil). Serve the gyoza crisp side up straight from the pan.