Fried Gyoza
April 16, 2009 – 6:03 pmGyoza are Japanese dumplings, usually stuffed with some combination of meat and vegetables. This recipe is adapted from the excellent World of Dumplings by Brian Yarvin. They were very tasty. Next time I think we’ll steam them, though, to save a few calories. Not that it matters much when the two of us polish off the entire batch for dinner 😛
I did not make my own gyoza dough as the recipe recommends, though I might attempt that next time. I had a leftover pork tenderloin in the fridge from making pork burritos two nights ago, and I ground that using my Kitchen Aid mixer grinder attachment rather than going out and buying ground pork. I often prefer to do that anyway, as you end up with a higher quality, leaner meat. I also cooked the filling first, as I would definitely prefer not to risk raw meat in the finished dumplings. I bought a little gyoza press at my local H Mart for two bucks, and it made forming the dumplings a breeze!
Fried Gyoza
Makes about 30 dumplings
Serves about 4
1 pound ground pork
1 cup savoy cabbage, finely chopped
1 green onion stalk, finely chopped
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
gyoza wrappers
Spray a skillet with nonstick spray and brown the pork, breaking it into small pieces. Add the cabbage and onion, stir to combine, and cook until the cabbage is wilted. Add the rest of the filling ingredients and cook for another minute to let the flavors meld. Set aside and allow to cool for a few minutes.
Open the package of gyoza wrappers and cover with a damp towel. Working one wrapper at a time, place the wrapper on the gyoza press, wet the edge all the way around with water, place a scant tablespoon of filling in the middle, and close the press firmly to seal. Cover finished dumplings with a damp towel as well.
When all dumplings are sealed, heat about 1/8 tsp of a neutral oil such as canola or safflower over medium heat in a large skillet. When the oil sizzles when a drop of water is flicked in, carefully add 6-8 gyoza to the pan, being careful not to overcrowd. Fry for about 1 minute on each side or until nicely browned. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
Serve hot with dipping sauce. I make a dipping sauce with equal parts of soy sauce and white wine vinegar with a generous sprinkle of ground ginger and a few drops of sesame oil.
Forming and cooking the gyoza:
2 Responses to “Fried Gyoza”
OMG these look sooooo good. I am an absolute fool for fried dumplings! I like to steam them and then brown the bottoms (“potstickers”). And if I was alone, I would eat the ENTIRE batch myself 🙂
By Jean on Apr 17, 2009
I’ve been skeptical about similar plastic gyoza makers…. but now I think I might even pick one up! These look wonderful!
By Joelen on Apr 20, 2009