Lunar New Year is a time to celebrate with your family and friends. It is also a great time to indulge in many types of Asian appetizers. One of my favorites is gyoza! Gyoza are Japanese style dumplings that are steam fried. That means you fry the bottoms until golden brown and then steam the gyoza until the wrapper and filling are plump and tender. You then take these perfect pockets of goodness and dip them in a lovely, tangy dipping sauce. It is the perfect blend of savory Japanese flavors that dances in your mouth!
The easiest shape to make is the basic half moon where you simply fold the dumpling wrapper in half over the filling. If you want to make more decorative shapes, check out the numerous dumpling folding tutorials online. For this recipe, I do a fan shape with 4 pleats. Regardless of how you fold them, they will be delicious!
How to Make Perfect Pork Gyoza
In a large bowl, combine pork, egg, green onions, soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly to combine.
Make the dipping sauce. Stir ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Set up dumpling making station: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, get a small bowl of water, and dumpling wrappers.
Take one wrapper and lay it in your hand. Scoop about one tablespoon of filling in the center of the wrapper. Dip your finger into the water and moisten the edges of the wrapper. Fold wrappers in half, over the filling, in a half moon shape. Pinch shut at the top and then press along the edges to seal the sides together. If you are comfortable, you can pleat the dumpling for a more decorative look. Gently push the dumpling down to create a flat bottom. Set on the cookie sheet and cover with a slightly damp tea towel to keep the wrappers from drying out. Repeat with the rest of the gyoza.
Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place a single layer of gyoza in the skillet and fry 3-5 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown. Add a ½ cup of water to the pan (it will sizzle loudly) and quickly put a lid on the skillet. Steam the gyoza for 4-5 minutes until the water has mostly evaporated. Sauté for an additional minute to recrisp the bottoms.
Serve gyoza with dipping sauce. Enjoy!
Note:
To freeze: Place a baking sheet with gyoza in the freezer. Freeze overnight. Once frozen, place gyoza in a freezer safe container. To cook – follow the same instructions, you just may need an extra minute or two.
Perfect Pork Gyoza
Ingredients
Ingredients:
Gyoza:
- 1 lb. ground pork
- 1 large egg
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
- 1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 1 pack dumpling wrappers 50 wrappers in a pack
- 3 Tbsp. canola oil
- 2 cups water
Dipping Sauce:
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tsp. Sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp. green onions thinly sliced
- Garnish with a pinch of red pepper flakes or a tsp. sesame seeds
Instructions
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, combine pork, egg, green onions, soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly to combine.
- Make the dipping sauce. Stir ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Set up dumpling making station: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, get a small bowl of water, and dumpling wrappers.
- Take one wrapper and lay it in your hand. Scoop about one tablespoon of filling in the center of the wrapper. Dip your finger into the water and moisten the edges of the wrapper. Fold wrappers in half, over the filling, in a half moon shape. Pinch shut at the top and then press along the edges to seal the sides together. If you are comfortable, you can pleat the dumpling for a more decorative look. Gently push the dumpling down to create a flat bottom. Set on the cookie sheet and cover with a slightly damp tea towel to keep the wrappers from drying out. Repeat with the rest of the gyoza.
- Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place a single layer of gyoza in the skillet and fry 3-5 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown. Add a ½ cup of water to the pan (it will sizzle loudly) and quickly put a lid on the skillet. Steam the gyoza for 4-5 minutes until the water has mostly evaporated. Sauté for an additional minute to recrisp the bottoms.
- Serve gyoza with dipping sauce. Enjoy!