Gyoza, dumplings, wontons, pot stickers, whatever you call them, I love them. They’ve fast become one of my favourite snacks. One of those things that when you think about them, you’ve got to have them.

I’d never really thought of making my own, but a chance encounter with a dumpling press and a packet of wonton wrappers in San Fran’s China town changed all that, and now I can’t stop cranking them out. Of course if I was a real expert, I’d be wrapping them by hand, but I’m not, and the $6 press does a pretty good job.

This Thai influenced recipe has a pork filling, but you can stuff these little guys with whatever you want really. You could do a variation with salmon or shrimp and chive, or maybe even tofu and shitake mushrooms. The cases we’ve found work best are Singapore style dumpling wrappers as they’re a bit thicker and give the pot stickers more substance.

One more thing, the pot stickers get fried on one side (which is how they get their name) and then steamed, so you’re going to need a wok or frying pan with a lid. Lets begin.

Ingredients (makes about 20)

For the pot stickers

250g pork mince

1.5 tablespoons fresh coriander, finely chopped

1.5 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped

3 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped

1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger1 medium red chilli, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 large garlic clove, grated

Dumpling wrappers, Singapore style

Around 100ml of water, some sesame and vegetable oil for cooking

For the dipping sauce

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons water

1.5 tablespoons siracha hot sauce

1 small clove garlic, finely chopped

1 spring onion, sliced

1 teaspoon fresh coriander, chopped

Method

Get the dipping sauce done first, as once the dumplings are made you really want to cook them right away. Chop the spring onion, garlic and coriander, mix in a small bowl with the rest of the ingredients and then set aside.

Now to make the filling. Like the sauce this is a pretty straight forward exercise in combining everything together in a bowl, but make sure you chop everything as finely as you can. Once all the ingredients are chopped, grated and poured into your bowl, get your hands in there and give it a good mix until everything is evenly combined.

Once you’re done with this, set up a bit of a dumpling production station. You’ll need your mixture, your press, the wrappers, and a bowl of water to seal the edges. Get a dumpling wrapper and place it on the center of the press (as pictured), run a wet finger along the circumference, and then place a small teaspoon of your mixture in the center. Close the press tightly, then open and pop out your dumpling. Repeat until you’re out of the mixture.

Next get a wok or frying pan on a high heat, remembering you’re going to need a lid for part two of the cooking. Whilst your pan is getting up to heat, sit all your dumplings on their bottoms, so that the seam is pointing up, a bit like a Stegosaurus’ back.

Your pan should be ready by now, pour in some vegetable oil and a few drops of sesame oil for flavour, and place the dumplings bottom down in the pan (you should be able to fit around 10 at a time). After a minute or so, when the skin on the underside is nicely browned, pour around 100ml of water into the pan, place the lid on and turn the heat down to medium. The water will splutter and steam dramatically, but don’t take off the lid. In fact leave it be for around 5 minutes.

After this time, take a peek. The liquid should have all but evaporated, and the dumplings should look glossy and every so slightly bloated. They’re ready, so get them out of the pan and cook up your next batch. You can keep the cooked dumplings in a warm oven on a lightly oiled plate (they can be a bit sticky) or in a steaming basket over some hot water whilst you cook the others.

When you’re done, serve immediately on their own as a snack with the dipping sauce, or with a big bowl of steamed garlic and soy choi sum as a dinner for 2.

Back to New York, if only briefly, for a quick bit about what might be my favourite place to eat breakfast in the World. Serious claim I know, but Williamsburgh’s Egg is amazing. So amazing in fact that the New York visit prior to this one I think we had breakfast there 3 times out of the 5 days we were there. We only managed twice this time, but if I lived in the neighborhood I’d have to stop myself eating here every bloody day of the week.

Egg is a really unassuming place tucked on a little side road off Bedford Avenue in Williamsburgh. It’s light years away from the city’s brash diners (that I also love) and has a really relaxed almost ‘hippyish’ atmosphere. The owners have their own little farm on the outskirts of New York state, which supplies as much produce to the restaurant as possible. I’m not 100% sure how long it’s been open, but probably around 2 years. It’s open all day, serving breakfast / brunch until the evening when the menu becomes a bit more substantial. I’ve not eaten there in the evening, but I’ve heard it’s good.

My absolute favourite thing on the menu is a dish called ‘Eggs Rothko’. I’m not sure if it’s named after Mark Rothko, but it’s a whole lot tastier than his paintings (IMHO). At the heart of the dish is a kind of remix of eggy bread. A thick slice of toasted brioche with a hole cut in the middle is popped in a frying pan, and then an egg is fried in the hole. They then top the bread with a grated, tangy mature cheddar and slide it under a grill until the cheese bubbles. I know it sounds pretty insane, but when you slice open the bread and the yoke of the egg oozes out, you know you’re in the presence of breakfast greatness.

They serve it with your choice of meat or seasonal greens. I always opt for the sausage, which is a little different to the sausages you get with a fry up in the UK. They are basically little sausage meat patties which are flavoured with chili and fennel. Spicy and seriously tasty, and they work really well with the eggy bread.

I wish I was there now.