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.
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.
And LOOK! You can WATCH how easy it is to make gyoza in this video!!! Starring my mother instead of my BabyHands!
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!
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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:
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Japanese Gyoza recipe video!
LIFE OF DOZER
Drying off after a morning at the beach….
Thank you so much for the recipe. I absolutely love gyoza and am so happy I can now make them at home. And my mum loved them, more than any we’ve ever had at a restaurant.
That’s fantastic Natalie! N x
Would it be okay to replace the pork with chicken mince? Are there any changes that should be made to the other ingredients if you make the dumplings with chicken?
Hi Tak – as long as it’s not lean chicken mince that will be fine! N x
Absolutely delish! Just full of flavour and easy to make… only problem I couldn’t keep up the pace of making them and everyone eating them too fast! Thanks so much Nagi, my family loves your quirky recipes xo
Excited to make this recipe; looking for clarification on the type of cabbage.. is this the round cabbage or Napa cabbage?
Hi Heather, I use the round green cabbage here. N x
Thanks for the quick response, made these and they are delicious! Used 80/20 pork mince with 1 tbsp of extra oil (probably omit next time) and green onions with a bit of extra garlic. Shape filling in a ball before making dumpling to help keep filing together.
This recipe was a winner at dinner tonight. My husband and family are Japanese American so I felt the pressure to succeed. I knew I was in good hands with your mom’s recipe. My father-in-law ate a lot! Thank you.
Hey, Nagi! Can you make a vegetarian version of this gyoza? Please please please. Thank you so much 😊
Hi Nina – pop a request on my recipe request page, I have a list I’m working through 🙂 N x
i cooked this very nice
Hello Nagi! I made these today and they taste so good. They don’t look as pretty as yours but we don’t mind. I am not Japanese but enjoy eating other foods as I believe dood is what brings us closer. I wish I could post a picture of how mine look. Thanks again for another fantastic recipe!!
Btw, I’ll be making the churros this weekend 😋😋😊😊
Loved them! Another win recipe!
Great recipe Nagi 😀
Thanks so much Sam! N x
We had a dumpling recipe that we liked. Just tossed it out after making yours! I love that your recipe had the shredded cabbage. And I loved how it was cooked, not totally fried in oil but had the best of both worlds by being partially fried yet also steamed. Love you Nagi!!
Would it be possible to freeze the cooked dumplings instead of raw? We are having a party and would like to have them for snacks but they take a while to cook. How would you recommend reheating?
Ps. They’re super delicious
Hi Amalie, they are better to freeze raw as you want to get that crispiness when you cook them. If you freeze them cooked, they will go soggy when you thaw & reheat them. N x
I love this recipe! Just a question how fair in advance can I make these? So if I made these tomorrow morning will they be OK in the fridge for dinner tomorrow?
Hi Nagi,
Tried the recipe. The taste was good. But my meat filling is a little ‘hard’. Was it because my meat was not fat enough or I cooked it for too long or some parts I could have done it wrongly?
Hi Bonnie – could be a number of things. If you use lean mince they can become hard, as well as being cooked too long. What type of mince did you use? N x
Such a well written article and easy to follow recipe! My wife is Chinese so we typically make jiaozi which I love, but we both also love gyoza, and this is this best recipe we’ve found. I also love that you and your family make them together, we do the same and it’s such a sweet tradition!
Thanks so much Sam!! N x
Very yummy! Much better than the ones we get from the Japanese restaurant chain here in UK that cost £5 for 3 pieces of gyozas!!! We are definitely making this again. BTW I made my own wrappers because I can’t get them anywhere! Just saying because it’s not worth making your own wrappers, only do it at desperate times like a lockdown and you really need a gyoza fix.
I’m so glad you loved them Cha – perfect to make big batch and store in the freezer! N x