Yamamoto - Gyoza

GYOZAThe Ultimate Dumpling CookbookVine Garden Friends
Lets Eat!Introduction Humans have almost certainly been eating dumplings for about a long as they have been cultivating cabbages and wheator at least since the switchover from BC to AD! The personal mission of Paradise Yamamotopopularly known as Japans Gyoza Kingis to spread the gospel of dumplings as far and wide as he possibly can. At his members-only Vine Garden pop-up dinners in Tokyo he serves only dumplings and wraps each one with love. This book is his first effort to teach home cooks all of his secrets and share the joys of making great dumplings at home through 50 easy-to-follow recipes. Here youll find traditional dumplings alongside Yamamotos own outlandishly new and creative ones. His desire is to expand your horizons so that in 10 years dumplings containing Parmesan cheese and prosciutto or octopus and fish roe will be as common as the usual ones filled with cabbage, leeks and pork. Please give all of his dumplings a try! You too may become a dumpling disciple! Foreword Every cuisine has a dumpling to showcase.

Morsels of mostly savory ingredients are stuffed into pockets of pliable dough, then pinched, pleated or folded into bite-sized surprise packages. Eastern European kreplach, Turkish manti, Chinese jiaozi, and Japanese gyoza share delicious DNA. Now the improbably named Paradise Yamamoto has added even more variety to this widely loved but commonplace treat. This industrial designer, musician and certified Santa Claus has beaten as eclectic a path to the dumpling as his name suggests, and is today surely the most creative wrapper of uniquely filled gyoza south of the North Pole. We met at a caf in Tokyo and I asked how he got his name. Wearing his signature knitted beanie, he told me he wants to feel and spread happiness every day.

I have been eating and making gyoza since I first came to Japan forty-five years ago as a young bride. Through decades of practice I became proficient in pleating the delicious pork and cabbage crescent. But Yamamoto-sans kaleidoscope of possibilities inspired meand many of his Japanese readersto break the bonds of convention. The array of mouth-watering dumpling photos you see on this books cover prompted one Japanese friend to exclaim yatte mitai (I want to try making this)! Yamamoto-san insists that we not use pre-ground pork. Chop your own, he admonished me. I did, and was astonished by the difference it made in the perfectly seasoned pork and mushroom gyoza I laid before grateful diners.

A game of rock, paper, scissors determined who got the last dumpling! He also counsels us not to use the standard trinity of soy sauce, vinegar and chili oil for dipping. A sprinkling of salt allows the flavors to shine through. Revelatory! He is as thoughtful about his implements as his ingredients. His pan of choice is the cheapest frying pan I can find, because the thin layer of metal does a great job browning and crisping. He buys as many as he can when he sees them on sale, and may splurge by adding a glass lid that, while still inexpensive, may cost more than the pan. In this book he uses store-bought wrappers so readers can concentrate on the fillings.

And, oh, what fillings! You will be enchanted by his formulas for mixing meat and vegetables, by his combinations like broccoli and eggs that appeal to kids palates, and by an Italian-inspired carbonara dumpling with bacon, egg whites and Parmesan cheese that prompted a restaurateur of a hip Brooklyn eatery to declare, These would be huge on a New York brunch menu. This book challenges, delights, and inspires. Yamamoto-san told me that serving people what you have made by your own hand provides love and sustenance, and is an act of intimacy. But dont forget the whimsy as wellwhether producing savory courses or sweet dessert dumplings, you can practice your culinary origami as you twist, crimp and fold the skins around the fillings to form penguins, sailor hats, and Santas toy sacks. Talk about spreading happinessHo! Ho! Ho! Debra Samuels The Gyoza PantryTen basic ingredients to make your dumplingsGarlic Chives (Nira) These flat, mildly aromatic leaves are a gyoza staple. An Asian market with a decent produce section should have them.

If you cant find them, you can substitute an equal quantity of chopped round chives or green onion (scallion) greens, plus a little crushed fresh garlic. Ginger Root An essential addition, fresh ginger will give your gyoza a bit of heat and liveliness. Look for firm, unwrinkled roots with smooth brown skin. Peel before chopping, grating, or grinding. Extra ginger root can be frozen whole. Cabbage Use common green cabbage; it should be easy to find.

Remove the tough bottom part of the central vein before chopping individual leaves finely. Napa cabbage or bok choy leaves can be used in a pinch, but be aware that they may contain more moisture than green cabbage. Celery Celery adds freshness and crunch to your filling. Cut a stick of celery lengthwise into strips before cutting crosswise for a fine dice. Use the leaves, too! Pork Belly This is the secret to making juicy, richly flavored gyoza. Pork Loin Pork is the traditional meat of choice for gyoza.