Maintaining a healthy diet is essential. However, at times, we all crave cheat meals. However, Japanese cuisine is vast and delicious. Hence, we cannot decide which dish to treat ourselves to. If you want to have a cheat meal but can not determine what to treat yourself to, I can help you. Consider yourself treating to crispy, pan-fried gyoza. It is my favourite meal. Earlier, I visited fancy restaurants every Sunday to try out this tempting gyoza. However, the queue! OMG! Once, we waited three hours for our turn, which turned futile. Due to the rush, the chef didn’t fry the gyoza properly – it was uncooked from the inside. Since then, my mommy decided to eat homemade gyoza.
I believe there is some magic in my mommy’s hands. She makes the best gyoza. Anyways, before starting, a big shoutout to my mommy for passing on her exceptional cooking skills to me. I am thrilled to share the gyoza recipe I learned from her. So, shall we begin?
What is Gyoza?
Let me simplify everything for you. You can term gyoza as the cousin of the Chinese jiaozi. Both are dumplings. Don’t get confused. Read further to understand everything. Jiaozi is a delicious Chinese meal. During World War 2, the Japanese nationals in Manchuria relied on the iconic jiaozi. They loved it and adopted the northern Chinese cooking style after returning to Japan. Some nationals established food stalls and sold tempting gyoza with a Japanese taste. Eventually, it became an integral part of Japanese cooking for its inexpensiveness and taste.
If you like this dish, try my Hanetsuki Gyoza and Vegetable Gyoza recipe next.
Why make Homemade Gyoza?
I know! You must be wondering why make homemade gyoza if you can relish its succulent flavour outside. Oh, yes! You may enjoy store-bought gyoza. However, homemade gyoza is exceptional. Read more to explore the reasons for eating homemade gyoza.
- As I mentioned, the gyoza I ate at the restaurant was uncooked from the inside due to the rush. Thus, you are unsure whether the meal you are eating outside is cooked or not. However, when you make any dishes at home, you cook them nicely.
- Though gyoza is a popular cheat dish, the homemade gyoza is healthier than the one you get outside.
- Making gyoza alone is challenging. You have so much to prepare – chopping veggies, kneading dough (If making it from scratch), making sauce, and filling the dumplings. If you do all these single-handedly, you will get bored and tired. Thanks to my mother, I have become a pro in making gyoza. However, I never make it alone. Either I make it with my mommy or invite my friends. Making gyoza together is so much fun and rewarding.
Ingredients
So, let’s see what ingredients we need to make gyoza.
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- ¾ lb green cabbage
- 2 green onions or scallions
- ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
- ½ lb ground pork
- 1 packet of gyoza wrappers
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons sake (Optional)
- 2 shiitake mushrooms
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
For the appetizing sauce:
- La-yu (Japanese chilli oil; ⅛ teaspoon per serving)
- Soy sauce (1 tablespoon per serving)
- Unseasoned rice vinegar (1 tablespoon per serving)
For cooking:
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 4 tablespoons water
Many times, home cooks do not have all the ingredients at their home required to make their favourite dishes. So, does it mean they need to skip making their favourite dish? No! You may use substitutes. Here are the substitutes you may use in this dish.
- Green cabbage
Green cabbage is the key ingredient used in authentic gyoza. However, you may use napa cabbage instead of green cabbage.
- Ground pork
This dish tastes delectable if you add ground pork. However, you may add chicken, ground beef, lamb, or turkey if you like experimenting with dishes.
I like authentic gyoza. Thus, I have never used substitutes, nor do I wish to use them.
How to make Gyoza?
- Thinly slice the cabbage and sprinkle a little Kosher salt so the cabbage softens. Keep them aside. Mince other ingredients and transfer them to a large bowl.
- Combine all the ingredients and knead them nicely. I wore gloves for a better result.
- Cabbage releases water when you sprinkle salt on it. Drain water and combine cabbage and pork mixture. Mix everything well.
- Once everything is handy, shape the gyoza. Place some water aside and grease the baking sheet with two tablespoons of cornstarch or potato starch.
- Unwrap the gyoza wrappers and cover them with a plastic wrap or damp towel. The wrappers should not become dry.
- In a wrapper, stuff up to one tablespoon of the filling. You may use less filling (say ¾ teaspoon) if you are a novice.
- Wet your finger with water and apply it on all the sides.
- Fold it into two parts. However, do not seal it.
- Now, let us learn to pleat the wrapper.
- Now, pleat it nicely till it looks like a dumpling. You only need your thumb and index finger to pleat it.
- Make tiny folds on your dumpling and gently pull them back to seal it.
If you still find shaping these dumplings challenging, why worry? You are not making it alone. Hence, do not fold it if you are uncomfortable – do other work and let the cooking master in your group work on the pleats and shaping gyoza. And yes, if you aspire to master shaping dumplings, comment! I will shortly post a detailed blog on shaping gyoza.
Once you have shaped them all, place them on a baking sheet and cover. You can also freeze them for later. Leave ample space between the dumplings so It does not stick. Place the frozen gyoza in an airtight bag. Once frozen, You can use them for a month.
To Cook Gyoza
- Firstly, remove any starch from the uncooked gyoza with a pastry brush.
- Warm a large non-stick cooking pan and add neutral oil to it.
- When the oil warms up, place the uncooked gyoza in a pan. Leave enough space between uncooked gyoza – they should not stick.
- Cook for five minutes till the bottom starts changing colour and turns brownish. Once the bottom changes colour, add four tablespoons of water and cover it.
- Steam it for five minutes.
- Uncover and cook the gyoza until the water from the lid fades.
- Splash a little toasted around the lip-smacking gyoza and cook till it turns crispy.
- Your homemade gyoza is now ready to serve.
Pro Tip
For the best gyoza, the cabbage should be more than the meat. And yes, do not forget to serve it with the homemade dip.
What can we do with the Leftovers?
- If you are full and do not desire to eat more, place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can eat the refrigerated gyoza for three days. If you store it in the freezer, you can use it for up to one month. However, whenever I want to eat gyoza, I make them fresh.
- If you have an extra filling, you can make delicious meatballs or patties.
- If you have leftover fresh wrappers, you can make a cheesy delight. Fill it with loaded cheese and fold it. You may deep-fry, air-fry, pan-fry or bake it. It is a kid-friendly meal. I often make it when I have extra filling and enjoy it with my family. And since it is perfectly all right to cheat once in a while, I deep-fry them.
How to make Sauce?
Making this appetizing sauce is no rocket science. Mix La-yu, soy sauce and unseasoned rice vinegar. Enjoy with the tastiest homemade gyoza.
