Gyoza
Gyoza are Japanese pan-fried dumplings that evolved from Chinese jiaozi, brought back to Japan by soldiers and civilians returning from Manchuria after World War II, who recreated the dumplings they had eaten abroad. A thin wheat-flour wrapper encloses a filling of ground pork, napa cabbage (or regular cabbage), garlic chives, garlic, and ginger, pleated into a crescent shape. The dumplings are placed flat-side down in an oiled skillet, seared until golden, then water - sometimes mixed with a touch of flour - is added and the lid goes on to steam them through; as the water evaporates, the bottoms re-crisp and form the thin, lacy skirt called hanetsuki that connects all the dumplings in the pan. Each piece delivers three textures in one bite: the chewy steamed top, the crackling golden base, and the juicy meat filling inside. A dipping sauce of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and la-yu (chili oil) adds sharpness, salt, and heat atop the dumpling's savory richness. Gyoza are served as a ramen-shop side dish, an izakaya beer snack, and a weekend home-cooking staple - one of the most versatile foods in the Japanese repertoire.
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Instructions
- 1
Finely chop cabbage, salt and squeeze out moisture.
- 2
Mix pork with cabbage, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil.
- 3
Fill wrappers with filling and pleat into half-moon shapes.
- 4
Heat oil in pan, place flat-side down and fry until golden.
- 5
Add 50ml water, cover and steam 3 minutes, then uncover to crisp.
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