We love making these delicious Japanese dumplings (known as Gyoza)!  We named them Chop Chop because we did some serious chopping to get the mixture just right!  They are packed with good nutrition, too!  We chose to steam our dumplings in the super cool bamboo steamer – the presentation makes you feel as if you are in a Japanese restaurant!

Ingredients:           

Dumplings:
1/2 pound, ground chicken (pork or tofu)
3 cups cabbage, chopped finely
9 scallions, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil, toasted
1 package (12 ounces) egg roll wrappers

Dipping Sauce:
½ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime

Directions:

1. In a medium non-stick skillet, cook ground chicken until brown.  Set aside.
2. Prepare Dumplings: Place cabbage, scallions, ginger and sea salt in a large mixing bowl.  Use your hands to thoroughly toss the veggies for 5 minutes.  Use several layers of paper towels and squeeze out excess liquid.
3. Add in cooked chicken and sesame oil and mix until well blended.
4. Cut egg roll wrappers into 2 inch squares. Place water in small bowl to use as “dumpling glue.”
5. Place 1 wrapper square in your hand and coat 4 edges with water, using finger as a brush. Place 1 heaping teaspoon dumpling mixture in center of wrapper, then bring 2 opposite corners to the top and pinch; then, the bring the other opposite 2 sides up to the top and pinch closed (looks like a mini-box). Repeat process with remaining wrappers and mixture.
6. In a bamboo or steel steamer, line steamer with 1-2 cabbage leaves so dumplings don’t stick. Fill the space with dumplings.  Place steamer over a large wide skillet of 2-3 inches of boiling water and steam for 15-20 minutes until thoroughly cooked. Transfer dumplings to serving plate; keep warm. Repeat with remaining dumplings.
7. While dumplings are cooking, prepare Dipping Sauce: In small bowl, stir together rice vinegar, soy sauce, and lime juice.
8. Serve dumplings with dipping sauce.

Makes 15 servings (5 dumplings per serving).

Nutrition Facts per serving: 100 calories; 2g fat ( 0g sat fat, 1g mono, 1g poly, 0g trans fats); 15mg cholesterol; 14g carbohydrate (1g fiber, 1g sugar); 6g protein; 270mg sodium; 2% Daily Value (DV) vitamin A; 15% DV vitamin C; 2% DV calcium; 10% DV iron.

This is such a great activity for the whole family and all of the effort is worth it because they are so delicious!  Homemade is best!

What’s your favorite dumpling mixture?

– Stacey Antine, MS, RD, author, Appetite for Life, founder, HealthBarn USA, co-host, Family Food Expert Internet Radio Show, and recognized as top 10 dietitians nationally by Today’s Dietitian magazine for her work with HealthBarn USA.