Homemade Gyoza

 

Homemade Gyoza are one of my new favourite things to eat. The bite sized, half moon dumplings are perfect for a starter or as part of an Asian buffet.

Originating in China, with the name Jiaozi, the dumplings are very popular as a side dish in Japanese restaurants.

Gyoza are also referred to as potstickers or Chinese dumplings. Deeply savoury and full of flavour, gyoza are little dumplings of thinly rolled dough with a rich and flavoursome centre that are fried and steamed. I have included recipes for Prawn Gyoza and Pork Gyoza, but the filling can easily be changed to use vegetables, chicken or duck.

I have made my own gyoza wrappers as I love to make everything from scratch. Making your own gyoza wrappers ensures you know what goes in, is more of a challenge but also more fun if you like to be in the kitchen like me! Using shop-bought gyoza skins is much quicker and just as good though.

If you liked my Homemade Gyoza recipe then try out my recipe for Vegetable Thai Green Curry or Pad Thai (ผัดไทย)

Let me now if you try out the recipe over your social media using #documentingmydinner – Be sure to follow me on Instagram


RECIPE
Makes around 20 Prawn Gyoza – Freeze before cooking and cook straight from frozen (freeze on a tray before placing in a resealable plastic bag)
Difficulty Level: Top Chef

Ingredients:

For the dough:

  • 200g plain flour (Use ’00’ flour if you have)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 100ml boiling water

For the Prawn Gyoza filling:

  • 250g raw prawns
  • 3 spring onions
  • 2 leaves cabbage
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • Thumb size piece of ginger
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon white pepper
  • Sunflower oil

For the Minced Pork Filling:

  • 250g pork mince (it is best to use pork mince with high fat content)
  • 3 spring onions, finely sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 20g piece of ginger, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon mirin
  • 1 teaspoon palm sugar
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • Pinch of white pepper

 

Method:
  1. First make the gyoza wrappers. To make it easier, I use a bread machine on its dough setting. You could also use a stand mixer if you have one. Add the flour, salt and boiling water to the bread machine drum and press the dough setting. It usually takes around one hour, but remove it after 30 minutes if you prefer. If you don’t have a dough machine, add the flour and salt to a bowl and gradually add the boiling water. Mix to a dough consistency with your hands and knead for around 10 minutes. Cover and leave to rest in a warm place for around 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, make your filling. Finely chop the prawns (or pork mince), spring onions and cabbage (for Prawn Gyoza). Add to a bowl. Finely grate the ginger and garlic and add this to the bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well with your hands. If you want to taste the filling, fry a little in a pan to cook through for a couple of minutes. This will ensure the seasoning is to your liking.

3. When the dough is ready, it’s time to roll it. If you have a pasta machine, this is the quickest and easiest way to get your gyoza wrappers really thin. Roll the dough into a rectangle and go through all the settings on your pasta machine until really thin- you should be able to see your hand through the dough. Use a large mug or large circular cutter to cut out as many gyoza wrappers as you can. Sprinkle with flour and stack on top of eachother until ready to fill. They may dry out so use them as soon as you can or place a clean damp towel on top.

4. If you don’t have a pasta machine, roll the dough into a large sausage shape and cut into thin circles. Roll each circle as thin as you can and stamp with a cutter for the perfect circle shape.

5. To fill the gyoza: place a circle wrapper in your palm. Put a teaspoon of filling in the middle. Use your finger to wet the edge of the wrapper with water and fold over. Pleat the edges and repeat with the rest of the gyoza wrappers and filling. YouTube has some videos on how to pleat Gyoza correctly.

6. Drizzle a little sunflower oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. When hot, add the gyozas. Fry on one side until golden- about 3-4 minutes. Add about 100ml water, cover the pan with a lid and steam for about 3 minutes. Remove the lid and finish with a drizzle of sesame oil. Cook until all the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the pan and serve! I like to serve mine with a soy dipping sauce or hot chilli oil.

If you liked my Prawn Gyoza recipe then check out my recipe for Salt and Pepper Chicken with Fried Soft Noodles

Tips

  • Watch YouTube videos on Gyoza folding techniques- I might add my own soon!!
  • Make it vegetarian: Use more spring onions and cabbage and add finely chopped mushrooms and grated carrot. Grate in ginger and garlic and cook as above.
  • Use shop bought Gyoza wrappers to save time: find them in Asian supermarkets
  • Steam (don’t fry) the gyoza to make them a little healthier
  • Serve with a simple soy dip: add soy sauce to a ramekin dish and add finely grated ginger and garlic. Add a pinch of chilli flakes and a tablespoon of both sesame oil, vinegar and mirin.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.