Did you enjoy my clever portmanteau of ‘awooga’ and ‘gyoza’?  Probably not; I didn’t enjoy it much myself.

Last night as part of a healthful Asian meal, I made some gyoza (aka potstickers).  Perhaps it wasn’t the most health-conscious move to pan-fry them, but considering the rest of the meal shied away from fat, I didn’t feel that guilty about these crispy, savory submarines.  They are a bit larger and not crimped like I’d normally do gyoza, hence the submarine-like appearance. And yes, I know this is an AWFUL picture, but when you’re doing six other dishes a la minute and you’re starving, your photography can get shoddy.

The original recipe can be found at Epicurious; I ground up my own chicken thighs into mince and used two stalks of celery.  Like they do in Japan and China, I also added a dash of la-yu (chili oil) to the dipping sauce.