Don't have a Japanese restaurant next door to satisfy your gyoza/potsticker craving? Here's how you can make a whole bunch o' gyozas in about half an hour (including prep time) using just a few key ingredients.

Step 1: Prepping the Ingredients

Time: about 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS
- Cabbage, finely diced, 2 lbs (it's about 1 head of cabbage)
- Pork, ground, 1 lb
- Green onions, chopped, 1/3 cup (1/4 cup if you prefer less)
- Ginger, chopped, 1 teaspoon (about 2" of ginger root)
- Salt, 1 tablespoon (for prep stage)
- Soy sauce/ sesame oil, 2 tablespoons each
- Ground white pepper, a pinch (optional)
- Gyoza/potsticker wrappers, 1 pack (usually sold in packs of 50 at your local Asian supermarket.)

TOOLS
- Flat-bottomed pan with a lid
- A flexible, flat spatula

TIPS
- Cabbage is the key "crunch" factor here so dice to your preference.
- Mix a teaspoon of salt into the chopped lettuce; the salt will help extract excess water, which can be poured out after a few minutes of sitting.

Step 2: Mixing It Up

Now mix all of the ingredients up in a large bowl until even.

Time: 2 minutes

TIP
- Start by making only 10 at a time and increase as you get quick at making them.
- Microwave a spoonful of the mix for about 45 seconds or until it's cooked. Then add salt, pepper, and/or soy sauce according to your preference.

Step 3: Forming the Gyozas

Time: about 2 minutes to make 10 gyozas

- Place a gyoza wrapper in your hand and then a small spoonful of the filling in the center of the wrapper.
- Wet a finger tip and draw a quick half-circle ring inside the edge of the gyoza wrapper (basically around the filling).
- Pick up and pinch together the wet edge and its opposite edge at the center (right above the filling). Then pinch a little more to either side, leaving the two ends open.

TIP
Cover unused wrappers with a clean kitchen towel to keep them from drying.

Step 4: Cooking Them!

Time: about 10 minutes

- Lightly oil the pan and put it on medium heat until it's warm (don't overheat or the oil will start to splatter).
- Place 10 gyozas in the pan next to each other. The gyozas should sizzle a bit as you place them in the pan.
- When the gyozas' bottoms form a slight, golden brown coating, pour enough water until it's about 1/2 inch deep. Then cover the pan with the lid and open once in a while to let the steam out.
- When almost all of the water is gone, use the spatula to "work" the sticky gyozas off the pan. The bottom of the gyozas should be covered in more brown spots but are still crispy. Try to keep them together!

TIPS
- Sprinkle some water on the "pasty white" portions of the gyoza wrappers. This will help make the gyozas more presentable when they're done cooking.
- Can't finish all 50 gyozas? You can put the uncooked gyozas in the freezer until you need them. Then just defrost them and cook them as you would normally! (It's OK if they're stuck together.)

Step 5: Eating and Serving Your Work of Art

Congratulations! You've made your very own gyozas! Now try different ingredients such as:

- Corn
- Peas
- Shitake mushrooms
- Chicken/beef/shrimp
- Tofu (this can be a bit harder to work with, so I'd suggest using firm tofu)

Enjoy!

TIP
Add some chopped garlic and a tiny bit of sesame oil into the soy sauce.