Pork and Vegetable Gyoza/ Dumplings

I'm really pleased with how these turned out, especially as I have been missing GOOD pan-Asian cuisine!

Pork and Vegetable Gyoza

1/2 tbsp finely grated ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
75-100g pork (the best thing to use is leftover roast pork, but you could use a chop if you want), chopped to a texture similar to mince
extra virgin olive oil, for frying
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 sweet red pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
4 spring onions, finely chopped
a small handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped
a splash of sesame oil
dumpling wrappers (you can totally make your own if you want, there's a good recipe here, but if you're lazy like me you can buy these from your local Chinese supermarket)

1. Mix together the ginger, garlic, chilli, soy sauce, vinegar, and honey in a medium-sized bowl. Add the pork and mix.

2. Place a wok in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add a splash of olive oil. Sauté the vegetables until they're tender. Tip the bowl with the pork and marinade into the wok and stir-fry over a medium high heat until the vegetables look soft.

3. Tip all the mixture into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely minced. Transfer mixture back to the wok, add the coriander and a splash of sesame oil and combine.

4. Take the mixture off the heat. Place a rounded teaspoon of the mixture in the centre of a dumpling wrapper. Using a pastry brush or your finger, wet the surrounding area with water. Fold the wrapper in half to form a crescent and press to seal. Repeat until you have no more filling.

5. Put some olive oil in a large frying pan. Once the oil is warm, place the gyoza in the pan with a little space in between each one. All the wrappers to crisp and brown, then add a little hot water (about 2-3 tbsp) and cover for 5 minutes, so that the gyoza can be steamed through. Once there is no more water left, you're done! Transfer the dumplings to a platter and serve immediately.

Makes about 15-20 dumplings

Mummy's Dead Easy "Sweet and Sour Pork"

I think everyone has those dishes from childhood that they have loved all the way into adulthood. They're so dead easy, and so wonderfully comforting. Cooking them makes you feel at home, even when you're halfway across the world (as I so often am). My mum's "sweet and sour pork" recipe is one of those. I write it in quotes because it's not technically sweet n' sour in the most conventional sense, but those two flavours are most definitely present in the sauce that the pork is cooked in. It's also one of the first things I ever made on my own in my second year of uni, when at a loss for what to make myself for supper that WASN'T pasta or chicken. It takes no time at all, and takes a minimal amounts of ingredients in the cupboard. Give it a go with some rice and some veg.

One thing I have to apologise for is my photography skills (or lack thereof). Hopefully as the blog progresses I will get better!

Mummy's Dead Easy "Sweet and Sour Pork"

2-3 pork chops (you can use pork loin if you prefer)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

1 clove of garlic, minced

salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 190ºC/400ºF/gas mark 6. In a wide shallow dish, mix together the soy sauce, honey, minced garlic, and salt and pepper. Taste to see how the sauce is; if you prefer it more sweet than sour, add more honey, and if you prefer a bit of a stronger flavour, add more soy sauce. This will yield a lot of sauce so saving the need for more soy sauce if having it with rice!

2. Allow the pork to marinade in the sauce for a good 5 minutes before you bung it in the oven.

3. Put the pork in the oven topped with the marinade/sauce for 15-20 minutes until the pork is cooked but still tender.

serves 2-3