Steps

1. Rinse 1 bag (200g) of bean sprouts under water and drain well in a colander.
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2. Pinch the bean sprouts with your hands and break them into small pieces, about 5mm to 1cm wide. Then, firmly squeeze out any excess water. [This is the key!] By finely breaking and squeezing out water from the bean sprouts, they will bind better with the meat mixture and prevent it from becoming mushy.
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3. Finely shred 18 gyoza wrappers.
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4. Spread the shredded gyoza wrappers on a tray or flat plate.
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5. In a bowl, combine 150g of ground pork, 1 tbsp of potato starch, 1 tbsp of cooking sake, 1 tsp of chicken bouillon powder, and 1 tsp of minced garlic. Mix until it becomes sticky.
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6. Add the water-squeezed bean sprouts to the kneaded meat mixture and mix until evenly combined.
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7. Take portions of the meat mixture in your hands, squeeze them, and form into round balls.
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8. Lightly oil a frying pan.
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9. Place a molded meatball onto the shredded gyoza wrappers. Roll it in your hands to coat the surface with the wrappers and ensure they stick firmly.
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10. Arrange the shumai coated with gyoza wrappers in the oiled frying pan.
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11. Cook over medium heat until the bottoms of the shumai are browned.
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12. Once browned, pour 100ml of water around the edge of the frying pan.
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13. Cover with a lid and steam-heat over low heat for 10 minutes. [This is the key!] If you have any leftover gyoza wrappers, you can place them on top of the shumai during steaming to use them up.
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14. Remove the lid and increase heat to medium-high to evaporate any remaining moisture in the pan.
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15. Drizzle 1 tsp of sesame oil and cook until the shumai develops a nice golden-brown color. [This is the key!] The aroma and savory crispiness from the sesame oil added at the end will whet your appetite.
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16. Once the shumai have a good brown sear and easily slide off the pan, turn off the heat.
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17. Transfer the cooked shumai to a plate.
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18. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds as desired.
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19. Serve with ponzu sauce, soy sauce and vinegar mix, and Japanese mustard as desired.
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