Japanese Gyoza

Japanese gyoza are small dumplings that are traditionally filled with a delicious mixture of minced pork, Chinese cabbage and scallions. Not only are these tasty treats incredibly delicious, but they are also surprisingly easy to prepare.

Gyoza are also a good start if you want to learn about Japanese cuisine. Crispy on the outside and juicy in the middle, they have had a remarkable journey going back to China. There, stuffed dumplings have long existed in every conceivable shape and flavor. We will present interesting variants from time to time, because we are big fans of dumplings, whether fried or steamed.

It is not known exactly, but it can be assumed that gyoza arrived in Japan in the 17th century through Chinese immigrants. There, the dish evolved and adapted to local taste preferences. Nowadays, gyoza are popular in Japan and around the world as a delicious appetizer or snack.

Thanks to ready-made dough sheets preparation is relatively quick and easy. Why we for once suggest here to work with a ready-made product? There are several reasons. Gyoza dough consists only of flour and water, but it still takes a lot of effort and experience to get the dough to the right consistency. We’ve tried a few times – with rather varying success – and find that the effort doesn’t stand for it. There’s nothing different in the frozen ready-made products available in almost every Asian supermarket, either, so it’s not like we have to make any major health or taste sacrifices here. We always have a packet or two in the freezer. It’s brilliant to be able to quickly make a few friends happy with dumplings. By the way, you can also freeze the finished or semi-finished gyoza and defrost them without loss, a great alternative to conventional convenience food (which we do NOT serve).

Let’s go!

First, about shopping. It’s worth asking your trusted butcher to mince you some fattier pork, it improves the flavor significantly. Overall, you eat relatively little meat with this dish, so even we, who use pork rather rarely, make an exception here.

Let the pastry sheets defrost slowly at room temperature and use them only when they are no longer frozen even in the middle.

We cut Chinese cabbage as small as possible – first into strips…

… and then into smaller pieces.

Mixed with a little salt, we leave it in a sieve so that it loses liquid.

We cut scallions into small pieces. We like them to be very finely chopped as well, but that’s a matter of taste. We add some fresh cilantro, which is optional.

Garlic and ginger are finely grated. Now we squeeze remaining liquid from the Chinese cabbage by hand. Then we mix these ingredients in a large bowl with the minced pork and season with soy sauce, rice vinegar (or lemon juice), sesame oil, white pepper and a pinch of sugar. Optionally, you may add a small amount of sake or Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing) at this point.

The trick to good gyoza is to stir the filling in only one direction until the mixture is perfectly combined. You will recognise this by the visible white threads that form in the meat. You can use a large wooden spoon for stirring – in Japan, chopsticks are typically used. Decide on a direction and stick to it, always in a circle. Be patient with this process and only stop when you have a mass that can no longer be separated. In some recipes, a little stock is added to the filling and the amazing thing is that the stirred mixture can even absorb liquid.

Now the gyoza are formed. Place a generous teaspoon of the filling in the centre of a piece of dough and place it in the palm of your hand.

Dip a finger in water and moisten the edge.

Now make the circle into a half moon and press the dough firmly together at the edge. Then it’s time to fold. Ultimately, the exact shape is not important, but the classic folding technique ensures that the gyoza stand up well in the pan and can be fried perfectly. Just be patient and try it out, it’s not as difficult as it looks with a little practice. Here is a short video about it.

First fold one half of the edge, then the other half in small folds towards the center. There is no right or wrong here, as you would expect with a traditional recipe, very many variations lead to the desired result.

Repeat this step with the remaining sheets of dough until the filling is used up. Store the folded gyoza on a baking sheet that you have dusted lightly with a little starch.

Now it’s time to fry. You will need a frying pan with a lid. It won’t work without one. If necessary, you could put on a large plate.

Heat some vegetable oil, maybe with a few extra drops of sesame oil for aroma, in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, carefully place the gyoza in the pan, making sure they are not to overcrowd it.

Now fry them for about 3 – 4 minutes until they are golden brown on the underside. Do not try to move the gyoza until they come off the bottom on their own. They are also called ‘potstickers’ for a reason.

Now it gets exciting: Pour in hot water until the gyoza are almost halfway submerged.

It sizzles and steams and this is exactly what we need so that the gyoza cook perfectly on the top. Therefore, a lid is now immediately put on the pan. It takes about 5 minutes, maybe a little longer, until the water has completely evaporated.

The dumplings are ready when there is no more water left and we have returned from steaming to frying. You are awarded the title of Gyoza Master when a kind of crust has formed from the cooking water at the bottom of the pan. This crust is considered a special delicacy and is of course served with the dish. You can force it by stirring some starch into the water. But this is unsportsmanlike.

The gyoza are then arranged on a plate and served with a simple sauce made from soy and rice vinegar.

You may also use toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions as further garnish.

If you want to freeze some of the gyoza, either wrap the finished fried ones or steam the formed raw ones briefly in a bamboo steamer or in a colander, as we described here. We do not recommend freezing completely raw pieces for hygienic reasons and also because the gyoza stick together very easily in this state.

Enjoy.

And may the taste be with you.

Ingredients (for about 4 people or 30 pieces):

300 g frozen gyoza dough (approx. 30 dough sheets)

200 g minced pork

150 g finely chopped Chinese cabbage

1 bunch of scallions, finely chopped

Optional: fresh coriander

2 cloves garlic, grated

2 tsp fresh ginger, grated

4 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp rice vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

Optional: some Japanese sake or Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing)

A pinch of sugar

2 teaspoons salt (for the Chinese cabbage)

White pepper to taste

Some starch for the tray

Vegetable oil for frying