This Japanese Gyoza recipe is my mothers’, and it’s a traditional, authentic recipe. Juicy on the inside, a golden brown and crispy base, these are made in a skillet and are one of my all time favourite Japanese dishes! Watch the recipe video and you’ll be a Gyoza-Wrapping-Master in no time.
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Though my brother, sister and I all know how to make Japanese food, it’s an unspoken rule that when it comes to Japanese food, that’s mum’s domain. So if any of us have a particular craving for a Japanese meal, we submit requests.
Sister: “Mum, can you make oden for us this weekend? Puh-lease??”
Brother: “Mum, we’re heading out to the harbour for New Years’ Eve fireworks. Can you make us some bento boxes?”
Me: “Mum, we haven’t had karaage in ages. I need some!”
And typically, she obliges. Though normally, her response to my request is firstly “Aren’t you on a diet?”, to which I always respond (defensively) with “I’m not going to have much!!“.
Gyoza is requested every couple of months or so – it’s a huge favorite in our family. Even though I’m perfectly capable of making it myself, as are my brother and sister, I don’t think any of us make it without mum present! It’s like some kind of unspoken tradition that mum makes the filling then one of us – sometimes all of us – gather to help wrap them.
Though you can find gyoza in many eating places in Japan, the most traditional place they are found is in ramen joints. A big bowl of steaming ramen and a side of gyoza. It’s so Japanese. Even though I can barely manage to get through an entire bowl of ramen myself, I always get gyoza.
And you know what? Without fail, every single time we order gyoza, whether here in Sydney or even in Japan, one of us always says “It’s not as good as mum’s”. 😉
The main thing you will find, especially outside of Japan, is that there is more cabbage used so the filling is less “meaty”, and there is very little garlic flavour. Don’t skimp on the meat!!! And definitely don’t skimp on the garlic flavour!!!
I am seriously in love with Gyoza. The crispy golden base and the steamed top. I also love the way it’s cooked – just in a skillet – no steamer required!
It’s honestly one of my all-time favorite foods. And I do get a little kick out of our tradition to gather and wrap the Gyoza together. 🙂
On another note……I think I may have bullied my mother into starting a Japanese food blog! WOO HOO!! I’ve been very sneaky, I totally guilt tripped her into it by saying it would be her legacy to us kids. And it’s actually very true that I have alarmingly few of her recipes in my collection.
I think it WORKED!!! I’m sooooo excited! All my favourite real proper Japanese recipes, all in one place! So watch this space…… – Nagi x
PS Traditionally, gyoza is served as part of a multi-course meal or as a side. But in my family, we make an enormous batch, enough to have just gyoza as a meal. That’s the way we roll!
Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Japanese GYOZA (Dumplings)
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 1/2 cups green cabbage, very finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt, separated
- 1 lb / 500g ground pork (mince) (fattier the better)
- 1 cup garlic chives, finely chopped (Note 1)
- 1 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp ginger, grated
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp cornstarch / corn flour
- 2 tsp soy sauce
Gyoza
- 1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch) – for tray
- 40 – 45 round wonton (gyoza) wrappers (Gow Gee wrappers) – 1 1/2 packets (Note 2)
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil (or other cooking oil)
Dipping Sauce
- Soy sauce
- Rice wine vinegar
- Chili oil (Rayu is Japanese chili oil)
Instructions
- Combine cabbage and 1/2 tsp salt in a small bowl, then set aside for 20 minutes to allow the cabbage to wilt slightly.
- Place remaining Filling ingredients (including remaining 1/2 tsp salt) in a large bowl. Squeeze out any excess water from the cabbage and add to the bowl.
- Use your hands to mix the Filling.
- Sprinkle a baking tray with 1 tsp of cornstarch / cornflour.
- Place 1 gyoza wrapper on your palm (left hand for right-handed people). Dip your finger in water and run it around the edge of half the gyoza wrapper (to seal).
- Place 1 slightly heaped tbsp of Filling on the wrapper. Fold wrapper over and use your right hand assisted by your left hand thumb to create 4 pleats. Press to seal and place on the tray. Repeat with remaining wrappers. (See video for demo)
To Cook
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet (that has a lid) over medium high heat.
- Place about 12 gyoza in rows, slightly overlapping each other. Cook until the underside is light golden, then pour 1/3 cup of water around the gyoza and place the lid on.
- Cook until the water has completely evaporated (so the golden underside is not wet and soggy) and the wrapper is slightly translucent on top – about 3 to 4 minutes. (See video)
- Use an egg flip to transfer onto a plate upside down i.e. golden side up.
- Serve with Dipping Sauce.
Dipping Sauce
- Serve each ingredient separately so people can mix according to their taste. I use about equal portions of soy sauce and vinegar with a generous splash of chili oil.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Drying off after a morning at the beach….
Good recipe, always used to put water chestnuts and or bamboo shoots in also but now I can’t get them, so this is very good
The Japanese Gyoza are soooo good. I’ve made them with pork, chicken and pork and prawn. I now have a garlic chives growing just to make these gyoza. I make a batch (or two) and put them in the freezer.
Can I use chicken instead of pork?
These were excellent! I could only find square wonton wrappers, so I made them into triangles. Three of us wiped them out! Thank you, Nagi!
I made these gyozas last night. So delicious. I added leftover cabbage & chicken mince to egg noodles as a side dish. Thank you, Nagi + Dozer
Just fabulous!
Love making these, they taste better and are so much cheaper than buying them + people seem to be impressed when you say they are home made. Mine don’t look as pretty as those in the pictures though !
i tried this recipe today with my best friend, and let’s just say- what is sex when you can eat these mouth-watering, flavorful, delicious, tasty dumplings instead??? holy shit, we thought our mouths were going to explode. both of us aren’t even exaggerating when we say that those are the best dumplings we have EVER eaten in our entire lives. thank you SO incredibly much for sharing this wonderful recipe with us!!!
Loved these, first attempt at gyoza after eyeing off this recipe on website and book. First 6 gyoza were bad but after rewatching the video, managed to get the hang of folding and crimping. But even mangled versions were tasty. A big hit at a Nagi inspired lunch.
Would chicken mince work
Absolutely delicious!! I was so glad to see that it uses the greens of the spring onions too which makes it low in Fructans (safe for my IBS). Thanks for yet another great recipe!
My site provides many interesting things and I wish you success SAGATOTO
My Chinese mother-in-law gave me this recipe without measurements. Now i can be consistent. Exception, I use Nappa as green cabbage is not for me. Also, a new way to cook them. Thank you.
Had to make an authentic ethnic recipe for a foods assignment. I chose this recipe and by golly am I glad I found this!! They were a huge hit in my household, even with my picky kids. I am going to be making a large batch and freezing them because we just cannot get enough!! Thank you! I did not change a thing, absolutely perfect the way the recipe is written!
Thank you for this great recipe. Super tasty gyoza, family loves them. I also made a gegetarian version using cabbage, carrots, shiitake mushrooms and green onion plus garlic and ginger
Great recipe. Must admit added a bit more garlic as had no ginger and admit using a Daiso dumpling maker a great investment..
What is the purpose of the cornstarch in the filling?
To thicken any water left over inside, I guess so it doesn’t pop open during cooking.
I don’t see much difference between these and Chinese potstickers–my potsticker recipe is almost identical to this one. The only difference is garlic chives, hard to find here, although I do usually plant some in the spring. Lacking that, I added more garlic and finely chopped green onions. Round dumpling wrappers aren’t available in my small town, so when I get into an urban center with an Asian supermarket, I stock up–they keep almost indefinitely in the freezer, although no matter how many packages I buy, they are usually gone in 6-7 months. One of our favorite dinners is dumplings and hot sour soup which I pick up at a local restaurant for $6 a quart–I really can’t make it at home for much less, and, of course, I “doctor” it a bit. Someone asked about vegetarian version–just add chopped mushrooms and grated carrot. Subbing ground beef sounds just wrong to me–ground chicken would be a better option, IMO. My DIL, neither of us Asian, get to get together every few months to make a huge pile for dinner on the spot and then to go into our freezers
Hi Nagi,
If I wanted to make vegetarian dumplings, could i sub the pork for mushrooms? What would you suggest? I love the original version but want a veg alternative as well…
These are the best potstickers I’ve made at home. I made a huge batch and froze a bunch for later!