Japanese Gyoza: Crispy Pan-Fried Dumplings
Golden and tender little parcels, perfect for appetizers or a light dinner.
- Prep time: 30 minutes
- Cook time: 15 minutes
Gyoza, these little Japanese dumplings that are both crispy and soft, are the art of transforming a few vegetables and a bit of meat into irresistible bites. A steaming then pan-frying cooking technique that creates that famous golden bottom so characteristic of gyoza.
Ingredients
-
pepper
-
white cabbage
-
sesame oil
-
mushrooms soaked in 2 teaspoons of warm fresh ginger
-
spring onions
-
minced meat
(or pork)
Recipe steps
Prepare the cabbage
Finely chop the cabbage, place it in a colander and pour boiling water over it. Let it cool until you can handle it, then press the cabbage well to extract all the water.
Prepare the filling
In a bowl, mix the drained cabbage, chopped onions, rehydrated and chopped mushrooms, and grated ginger. Add the ground meat, cooking wine, soy sauce, sesame oil and black pepper. Mix all ingredients well.
Shape the gyoza
Place about 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of each gyoza wrapper. Fold in half and pleat the edges to seal well. If the edges don’t stick, lightly moisten the inner perimeter with a little water before pleating.
Cook the gyoza
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Arrange the gyoza side by side. Pour a little water on the edge of the pan up to 1/4 the height of the gyoza. Cover, lower the heat and let simmer until the water has completely evaporated.
Prepare the sauce
Mix the soy sauce with sesame oil (spicy if you wish). Use a ratio of 10 parts soy sauce to 1 part oil (or 5 to 1 if you prefer less spicy).
Tips and variations
- For a vegetarian version, replace the meat with crumbled tofu or additional chopped mushrooms.
- Gyoza freeze perfectly: shape them, arrange on a tray without touching, freeze, then store in bags.
- Perfect cooking: first golden on the bottom, then steamed, to achieve that unique crispy-soft texture.
Anti-waste tips
Don’t throw away the mushroom soaking water! It’s full of flavor and can serve as a base for broth or soup.
Onion greens can be chopped and added to the filling or used as a final garnish.
If you have leftover gyoza wrappers, you can cut them into strips and fry them to make crispy chips.
