CABBAGE & PORK DUMPLINGS WITH DIPPING SAUCE

MAKES ABOUT 48

THESE TRADITIONAL DUMPLINGS are called gyoza in Japan. When I cooked in Tokyo at the beginning of my career, I fell in love with eating them at my neighborhood ramen shop, where I’d go on my Sunday nights off. Making the dumplings might seem daunting, but you can buy the wonton skins in a package and, as you see here, folding them is really easy. They’re fun to do with a group, and they cook quickly. I make a whole bunch and freeze any extras, uncooked.

4½ tablespoons sesame oil, plus more for sautéing

2 small cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

4 scallions, very thinly sliced

3 cups very thinly sliced cabbage

Salt

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

½ pound ground pork

1 package round dumpling wrappers (about 48)

Cabbage leaves for lining serving platter (optional)

Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and scallions and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the cabbage and a sprinkle of salt and cook, stirring, until just tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce and red pepper flakes, then transfer the cabbage mixture to a large bowl and let cool slightly. Add the pork and ½ tablespoon oil to the cabbage, and stir to combine.

To seal the dumplings, have a small bowl of cold water within reach. Dip your finger in the water, then run it around the edge of a dumpling wrapper. This is enough to make a good seal. Put about ½ tablespoon of the cabbage-pork filling in the center of the wrapper. Then pleat the wrapper as shown, moving from one side to the other, pushing the air out. Pinch firmly to seal.

Heat 2 tablespoons sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add as many dumplings as can comfortably fit and cook until the bottoms are golden brown, about 4 minutes. Add about ¼ cup water to the skillet, cover, and let steam until the pork is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Transfer the dumplings to a serving platter lined with cabbage leaves, if you like. Serve with the dipping sauce.

DIPPING SAUCE

MAKES ABOUT ⅓ CUP

I LIKE THIS SAUCE with the dumplings, because it’s a traditional way to eat them, but you might want to add some spice (like a teaspoon of sriracha), which tastes great, too. In a small bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon sake or dry white wine, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 2 thinly sliced scallions.