Gyoza (Japanese Dumplings)
Gyoza or Japanese pan-fried dumplings are SO delicious. EASY gyoza recipe made with store-bought ingredients, cheap & a zillion times better than takeout.
I have always liked dumplings—those little dough-wrapped morsels filled with stuffing consists of ground pork, seafood and vegetables—but my appreciation for dumplings deepens and intensifies only in the past few years due to my many trips to Beijing.
Beijing—the culinary capital of Chinese food—is the cradle of some of the best dumplings on earth. Dumplings are much celebrated, if not the building block of northern-style Chinese cooking.
In Beijing and the neighboring city of Tianjin, I savored dumplings of varied shapes, forms, with fillings so diverse, complicated, and sometimes bizarre, but never once disappoint in flavor and originality. I eventually become a dumpling buff; I cook and eat everything from the ubiquitous Cantonese dumplings such as har gow and sui mai, Chinese pot stickers and jiaozi, to Japanese gyoza.
Gyoza, the Japanese equivalent of jiaozi, were introduced to Japan after World World II by Japanese soldiers returning form China, according to my friend Andrea Nguyen, who has just recently published her new cookbook “Asian Dumplings.” Gyoza is an essential part of Japanese cuisine: an everyday food consumed as much as sushi or ramen by Japanese people.
My gyoza recipe is adapted from the “Asian Dumplings” cookbook—a tastefully-done and insightful cookbook choked full of mouthwatering dumplings and gorgeous food photography.
When it comes to the word “dumplings,” I have always related it to Chinese dumplings, but the cookbook defines it as “savory and sweet dishes that are made from dough balls or small parcels of food encased in pastry, dough, batter, or leaves.”
The book even offers a cucur badak recipe, a Malaysian snack filled with shredded coconut and spices. If you love dumplings or wish to learn more about them, get yourself a copy of this cookbook. I salivate and get hungry every time I flip through the pages of this book.
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Gyoza Recipe (Japanese Pork and Shrimp Pot Stickers)
Gyoza or Japanese pan-fried dumplings are SO delicious. EASY gyoza recipe made with store-bought ingredients, cheap & a zillion times better than takeout.
Ingredients
- 2 cups napa cabbage
- 1/2 teaspoon plus 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 gloves garlic minced and crushed into a paste
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons chopped Chinese chives
- 6 ounces ground pork
- 1/3 pound medium shrimp shelled, deveined, and chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoon Japanese soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sake
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 pack Gyoza wrappers
Instructions
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In a bowl, toss the cabbage with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set a side for 15 minutes to draw excess moisture from the cabbage. Drain in a strainer and rinse with water. Squeeze the cabbage in your hands to remove more moisture.
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Transfer the cabbage to a bowl and add the garlic, ginger, Chinese chives, pork, and shrimp. Stir the ingredients so they come together. Add salt, sugar, pepper, soy sauce, sake, and sesame oil and combine well.
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Scoop up about 1 tablespoon of filling and put it in the center of a gyoza wrapper. Fold, pleat, and press to enclose the filling into a pleated crescent shape. Place the finished dumplings on a plate lined with parchment paper (to avoid the bottom sticking to the plate). Repeat the same until the filling is used up.
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Combine some soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chili oil in a small bowl to create dipping sauce. Taste and adjust the flavor according to your liking.
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Heat up a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil. Add the dumpling one at a time, placing the sealed edges up in a winding circle pattern. Fry the dumplings for 1-2 minutes, until they are golden or light brown at the bottom.
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Add 1/4 inch depth of water into the skillet and cover it immediately with its lid and lower the heat to medium. Let the water bubble away until it's dry, for about 6-8 minutes. After the water is gone, remove the lid and fry for another 1-2 minutes until the bottoms are brown and crisp. Transfer the dumplings to a serving plate and serve immediately with the dipping sauce.
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jen
Looking at your gyozas make me realize that i really need to practice my wrapping techniques! beautiful!
Rasa Malaysia
Jen – you are funny. Get those with thicker skin, it helps with the wrapping!
Alisa - Frugal Foodie
Those gyozas look amazing! I can’t even get the store-bought ones to come out hat perfect let alone homemade!
Rasa Malaysia
Alisa – Thanks for your compliment. Store-bought ones are done using a dumpling mold so the pleats / folds are not delicate. ;)
Meeta
ummm! i need to make these. always loved gyozas but do not enjoy them at home as often as i should! lovely!
Rasa Malaysia
Meeta – yes, you should make gyoza at home. Not that hard. :)
Amy
Drooling…
Rasa Malaysia
LOL. Thanks!
Happy Cook
Hubby has been asking to make dumplings like this, next time in the asian shop have to by the wrappers. Looks souper yumm.
Rasa Malaysia
Yes, gyoza or dumplings are super yummy. Good luck making them.
Peter
Beautiful pictures! The folds on yours are absolutely perfect. Personally, I like my gyoza with more chinese chives (nira) and less napa cabbage (hakusai).
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Peter – thanks for your compliment. :) Yes, I prefer chives too.
mycookinghut
Gyoza is one of my favs dumplings too.. I love it so much that I can just eat and eat and eat… hehehe.
ramenkia
Your gyosa looks good. Great photos and presentation. Do you have the recipe for xiaolongbao wrappers? Gyoza wrappers are available in the store but never seen xialongbao wrappers. I would like to make some XLB at home if possible.
Marvin
Great looking Gyoza Bee! Isn’t the Asian Dumplings book fantastic?! I made homemade lumpia wrappers from the book, and they turned out great.
Monique
Darling little bundles:)
Frank Mosher
Love dumplings!! Years ago in Canada, there was a TV add for folding plastic gyoza wrapping gizmos, (three different sizes), where you put the wrapper on the gizmo, add filling, and then just fold the unit (it is hinged) together, and it turns out exceptional dumplings with the dimpled edges. I bought them in a $1 store, for about $1. Going to purchase the Andrea Nguyen “Asian Dumplings” book. Thanks.
Marc @ NoRecipes
Growing up, my friends loved to come over for dinner when my mom was making gyoza. Your recipe sounds pretty close to hers. Nice job with the pleating.
Tokyo Terrace
These look beautiful and delicious! I love gyoza. Living in Japan has gotten me completely addicted to these little dumplings. I have tried making my own several times and am still working to get the presentation down. Yours are beautifully done!
joey
You are a master gyoza wrapper! Look at those perfect pleats! Love gyoza :)
veron
Oh my God, look at those magnificent pleats! Your gyozas are perfection!
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)
I’m not a very good dumpling pleater, so I use a little plastic dumpling press that turns out perfect gyoza every time.
Wizzythestick
Wow-these look almost too neat to eat. Please note I said almost. Great food styling.
Emi
I love gyoza and asian meals. What a beautiful picture! I’m glad I found your site.
Rasa Malaysia
Emi – thank you and I hope to see you more on Rasa Malaysia.
Jo from Penang
Hi,
Stumbled on your site while looking for 3 cups chicken recipe. The gyozas look real delicious, will try to make them. May I ask what is napa cabbage?
Happy Cook
I have wonton skins in my freezer can i make this with those?
Rasa Malaysia
Yes, you can do so with the same fillings. Enjoy!
Happy Cook
Thanks for the info, sure i am goann try this.
JANIE
Thanks for the recipe, but is it possible to brown them on the skillet then put them in the steamer to finish the steaming phase??? I first tasted this while in japan , hubby was in the Air Force. have been in love with them ever since !!!! Please reply cause I want to make these….thanks again
Rasa Malaysia
Well, put them in the steamer to steam will be a tad troublesome. This method is the traditional method of making it.
NappyTales
I absolutely like eating gyoza! Unfortunately I can’t seem to find a gyoza wrapper here in Dubai.
Any recipe for the wrapper that can be use for both gyoza and shu mai?
JOHN LI
Well, I don’t get the difference between Chinese dumplings and the gyoza. They are like the same thing.
Rasa Malaysia
Hi John,
Yes, you are right. Gyoza is basically the Japanese version of Chinese dumplings. In fact, some Japanese dishes are Chinese in origins, for example: yakisoba (fried noodles), karaage, ramen, etc.
JANIE
I AM REALLY LOOKING FOR A RECIPE FOR THE DOUGH ,CAUSE I CAN’T GET AROUND MUCH DUE TO LEG PAIN.. BUT I DO ALOT OF COOKING PLEASE HELP ME, I LOVE GYOSA…GOT ADDICTED WHILE IN JAPAN :)
Ed
I live in Japan mnay years ago and would eat Gyoza on a regular basis.
I have made them in the past but just weren’t the same. This recipe came very close to what I was looking for. I blanched the cabbage instead of the wilting process. I really enjoyed them.
Anu
Mmm… looks delish! I am going to try and make them tonight. Lookin’ forward to it!
Frank
These were the best dumplings I have ever had! I have one question though. When I add the water to the pan, it explodes from the water hitting the oil. The oil goes everywhere and even flamed up a little. Am I doing something wrong?
Rasa Malaysia
The oil is not supposed to flamed up, perhaps you have too much oil but yes, the water makes the oil splatter.
Eleanor Hoh (Wok Star)
Bee, I don’t have patience to make my own from scratch nor pan fry. I got it down though by boiling first, then grilling instead of frying which give them nice crispy edges. Yours look perfect.
Linda
Sorry for the nitpicking but to most Chinese, Beijing is not really the culinary capital of China. If posed as a question, most Chinese will reply that Canton is the culinary capital of China, where most dishes are known for their delicateness, even though Canton is not a city, rather than a region which includes Guangzhou, Zhuhai..etc. As most would know (I hope), there are many cooking styles in China and Beijing has absorbed much of the other regions’ cooking styles in recent years. The fusion of these styles of cooking meant that most people in the major cities can now taste food from all over China. Jiaozi (known as Gyoza in Japan) though, did originate from the Northern and North-Western part of China (which includes Beijing), and spread into Japan during WWII.
Alice
Roughly how many does this make please?
Rosanna
What’s the difference between Japanese soy sauce and other soy sauces? I have dark soy sauce and regular soy sauce. Thanks!
Rasa Malaysia
Just use regular soy sauce.
franmcginty
I have a question, whenever I have had these there is a vinegar sauce that is added to the pot while cooking or after. Do you have the recipe for that? I feel like that is the flavor that makes these pop with flavor when eating them.
Rebecca
I love this recipe. Can you freeze these? How would you cook them straight from the freezer?
jen
嗨 你好！我很喜欢你的食谱，也尝试做了几道，家人都很喜欢！我想问你这日本饺子可以先煎好留隔天吃吗？谢谢！
Rasa Malaysia
Yes, just heat up before eating.
Alvina
Hi Bee, been searching for gyoza recipe with shrimps in it and I’m glad to find it on your website. May I know how many pieces will be made from this recipe?
Karen
I have frozen gyoza in th freezer. Can I pan-fried it directly on the pan, or wait for them to thaw and then pan-fried?
Rasa Malaysia
Thaw first.
Jay Cee
No don’t thaw first – the wrappers are hopeless after thawing. They end up gooey and stick to whatever they touch and then tear when you pull them away. I have successfully frozen and then cooked gyoza for ages and they turn out exactly the same.
For any uncooked gyoza: Tear strips of baking paper (or freezer go-between) and use them to separate each gyoza, then pop them in freezer bags, squeeze out the air, and place in the freezer. Later on, cook them exactly as above but give them a minute or two more of the steaming phase by adding a little more water than usual. Works a treat! :D
Rasa Malaysia
You can thaw and cook, I have no problem thawing and then cook. I don’t like to cook frozen dumplings because the meat filling just taste frozen and the texture changed due to that.
Caterina Malaer
Those Gyozas look very yummy! I make my ones with a filling of thuna and avocados….
nice, soft and very delicious!
brightsmile
how do I make the dipping sauce if I can’t find the one you mentioned?
Thank you.
Rasa Malaysia
Just soy sauce + vinegar.
Kari
Like Alice I’d love to know just how many this will make – or a rough estimate.
Crissy
I have made this recipe twice now! I use pork only and double the recipe, I get 41 dumplings. I love how flavorful these are, the first time I used napa cabbage but this time just a bag of regular finely shredded green cabbage. It worked just as well. I froze some uncooked dumplings and I can’t wait to cook those later, thanks for the recipe!
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Crissy thanks for trying my gyoza recipe! :)
Andreah
Just curious, do you brown the pork or cook the shrimp before adding it to the filling, or will the frying/steaming process cook them? ?
Rasa Malaysia
You don’t cook the pork/shrimp, they will be cooked during the cooking process. :)
Bernadette
I absolutely looooove gyoza, and would really appreciate if their were a recipie for the dipping sauce that goes with them? I’ve tried different combinations but it never turns out right! Any help?? 🙏
Rasa Malaysia
The dipping sauce is just ponzu, buy bottled ponzu.