Gyoza

Gyoza are Japanese dumplings filled with moist and juicy ground pork and vegetables, steamed and pan-fried to crispy golden brown on the bottom.

Japanese prep20 mins cook10 mins total30 mins servings24 – 32

Gyoza

• 1 packet gyoza wrapper, store-bought
• 8 ounces ground pork
• 2 ounces cabbage, shredded and cut into small pieces
• 1 thumb-sized ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and grated
• ½ tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• ½ tablespoon sake
• 3 dashes white pepper
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped scallion, green part only
• 1 pinch salt
• oil, for pan-frying

1. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients in the filling and blend well. The filling should be sticky and cohesive.
2. To assemble the gyoza, place a piece of the gyoza wrapper on your palm or a flat surface. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the filling onto the center of the wrapper. Dip your index finger into some water and moisten the outer edges of the dumpling wrapper.
3. Fold the gyoza over, press, and seal the left end. Use your thumb and index finger to create pleats and pinch to secure tightly. Repeat the process to form more pleats (start with 3-4 pleats if you’re a beginner). A nicely wrapped gyoza should have a crescent shape.
4. Heat the oil in a skillet or stir-fry pan over medium heat. Arrange the gyoza in the pan and cover with a lid. Pan-fry the gyoza until the bottoms turn golden brown and crispy.
5. Add about ¼ inch of water to the skillet or stir-fry pan and cover with the lid immediately. The water should evaporate after a few minutes. Continue to cook the gyoza for a couple more minutes to crisp up the bottoms. Remove the gyoza from the skillet or stir-fry pan and serve immediately with the gyoza sauce.

Sauce

• 4 tablespoons Japanese Ponzu
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil

1. To make Gyoza Sauce, combine the Ponzu with the sesame oil in a small dipping bowl. Stir to blend well.

Tips

• Technically, there is no difference between gyoza and potstickers. The former is usually made from thinner, smaller, and more delicate wrappers. The filling is more finely textured. Potstickers are also usually bigger in size.
• To grate the ginger and garlic, you can use a Japanese grater (oroshigane) or Microplane.
• Get a good brand of gyoza wrappers. Gyoza wrappers are generally thicker compared to other dumpling wrapper. Most of them are round in shape, but some are oval-shaped.
• For easier assembling, I suggest the round-shaped gyoza wrappers. If you can’t find gyoza wrappes, you can always use pot sticker wrappers, or Chinese jiaozi wrappers.
• Traditionally, Japanese home cooks use their hands to mix the gyoza filling for the best texture. You can adapt this recipe and make vegetarian gyoza.