Japanese Gyoza — Pan-Fried Dumplings Stuffed with Meat and Cabbage

Japanese gyoza are the stuffed dumplings that are pan-fried until the bottom turns crisp and golden, while the top steams — crispy outside, soft and juicy inside. The classic recipe fills them with ground pork, Chinese cabbage, ginger and spring onions, and serves them with a simple soy-vinegar sauce.

Ingredients (for 24 pieces / 4 servings)

For the filling:

• 250 g ground pork (or ground chicken)
• 200 g Chinese (napa) cabbage, finely shredded
• 2 spring onions, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• Salt and black pepper to taste

For the wrappers and frying:

• 24 ready-made gyoza wrappers (or wonton wrappers)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 120 ml water

For the dipping sauce:

• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• A few drops of sesame oil, to taste

Preparation

1. Salt the shredded cabbage, leave for 10 minutes, then squeeze well by hand to remove excess water.
2. In a large bowl, mix the ground meat, squeezed cabbage, spring onions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, salt and pepper until the mixture is uniform.
3. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each wrapper. Moisten the edges with water, fold the wrapper in half and seal the edges with pleats (5–6 pleats).
4. Heat the oil in a large lidded skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange the gyoza and fry 2–3 minutes until the bottom turns golden.
5. Add 120 ml water, cover with the lid and leave 4–5 minutes to steam.
6. Remove the lid and leave another 1–2 minutes for the water to evaporate and the bottom to crisp.
7. Mix the sauce ingredients and serve the gyoza hot with the sauce on the side.

Prep time: 40 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes | Servings: 4 (24 pieces).