Maybe someday I will tell you about the boy I followed to Hawaii after college, but it’s not for today’s post. What I do want to share with you about Hawaii is that it was the first place I ate Japanese Gyoza, also known as “pot stickers” which are actually the Chinese version. For more about the difference between Gyoza and Pot Stickers, click here.

One morning, my Hawaiian housemate (I rented a bedroom in a home on Oahu with 2 other people) took me downtown. Not Waikiki Beach downtown, I mean the real downtown, where the Japanese merchants lived and worked. He took me to a small Japanese restaurant for breakfast and told me that he was going to order for me. Cool. He ordered a bunch of things for us to share, but what I remember the most was the Gyoza. Gyoza are little dumplings, traditionally filled with a mixture of pork, garlic, ginger and cabbage. They are steamed (to cook the pork) and then pan-fried and served with soy sauce. Maybe it was the fact that I didn’t have enough money to eat three meals a day, or perhaps they were just wicked good – but I will never forget that breakfast.

We don’t get Asian food “take-out” that often, so you can imagine how delighted I have been to witness the emergence of small spaces dedicated to Asian cuisine in the supermarkets over the past few years. I’m not a sushi fan, but I’ve gotten into the habit of picking up Gyoza almost every time I go food shopping. My son loves it as much as I do, so about once a week I will make them for him as an after-school snack. It takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and I’ve found that it is the perfect holdover meal until dinner.

Pan fry the gyoza in about a tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high heat, turning the dumplings after about 5 minutes to brown on each side.

Drain on paper towel for a few minutes.

Serve with a soy dipping sauce.