Ingredients Print

Check off ingredients as you go

Makes a good 20 dumplings

For the gyoza dough

• 240 g (2 cups) sifted all-purpose flour (plain flour)
• 140 ml (½ cup + 1 Tbsp) boiling water
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the filling

• 100 g (3.5 oz) white cabbage, very thinly sliced
• 100 g (3.5 oz) shiitake mushrooms (or fresh button mushrooms), chopped
• 3 large carrots, finely grated
• 2 scallions (spring onions), thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cm (1¼ inch) piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 3 Tbsp neutral oil
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• Pepper
• 1 bunch cilantro (coriander), chopped

For the dipping sauce

• 4 Tbsp soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• a little ground dried chili (optional)

If you change the number of serving, consider adjusting cooking times!

The gyoza dough

1. Mix the sifted flour with the water and salt. Knead until you have a dough you can gather into a ball. You may need to add a little more water if it hasn’t come together after a few minutes. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Knead the dough briefly, then divide it into two logs, wrap them in plastic wrap and chill for 15 minutes.
2. Once the time is up, dust the work surface with a little flour or, better still, cornstarch. Unwrap one of the logs and cut it into 10 equal slices. Take a slice, roll it into a ball, then roll it out into a circle a little larger than the palm of your hand. Place the dough circles on a plate with a little cornstarch or potato starch between each one so they don’t stick together.

Planning tip: you can freeze the dough circles at this stage for later use; if so, separate them with parchment paper and freeze.

The filling

1. In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of neutral oil and sauté the garlic and ginger until they sizzle gently, then add the cabbage, scallions, mushrooms and carrots. Sauté everything for about 7 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and the liquid has evaporated.
2. Once the heat is off, add the cilantro, pepper, soy sauce and sesame oil, and adjust the salt if needed (the soy sauce is already salty).

The dipping sauce

1. Mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and chili.

You can also make my dipping sauce for nems and spring rolls, which goes very well with gyoza too.

Shaping and cooking the gyoza

1. Place a dough circle in the palm of your hand, then a good teaspoon of filling in the center. There should be enough filling for the dumpling to be full, but not too much or it will be hard to close. Brush the edge of the circle with a little water (so the edges will stick), then pinch the two edges together in the middle and make pleats on one side, pressing them onto the other side, which stays flat. Honestly, this step is more about looks than taste, but you get the hang of it very quickly once you’ve understood the technique!

2. Place the filled gyoza on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, sealed edges facing up and the bottoms flat. Cover with a kitchen towel so they don’t dry out.
3. Heat two tablespoons of neutral oil in a large nonstick skillet, then set the dumplings in on their flat side (the one without the pleats) (depending on the quantity, you may need to do this in two batches). Let them fry for a few minutes without moving them, until the bottoms are a nice golden color. Pour in 250 ml (1 cup) water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cover with a lid. Cook for about 8 minutes, or until the water has evaporated.
4. Serve right away with the sauces.

Sriracha sauce (the thick, spicy red sauce served in Asian restaurants, especially with steamed dumplings) goes perfectly with gyoza and can be found in most supermarkets.

Tips and planning

• Gyoza are a big hit, so think about doubling or tripling the quantities, because you can freeze them before or after filling them. All that’s left is to fill and/or just cook them whenever you like, with no need to thaw them first.
• If you’d rather not freeze them, know that both the filling and the dough can be made one to two days ahead and assembled at the last minute for cooking.

Variations

• For meat gyoza**, reduce or replace the shiitake mushrooms with ground chicken, which you’ll sauté along with the vegetables.

In the same vein, you might like the fried Chinese wonton dumplings or the steamed dumplings: