Ingredients

Check off ingredients as you go

For about 20 dumplings

For the gyoza dough

• 240g (2 cups) sifted flour
• 140ml (½ cup + 1 tbsp) boiling water
• ½ tsp salt

For the filling

• 100g (3.5 oz) white cabbage, cut into very thin strips
• 100g (3.5 oz) shiitake mushrooms (or fresh button mushrooms if unavailable), chopped
• 3 large carrots, finely grated
• 2 stalks green onions (scallions), finely sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cm (1 inch) fresh ginger, finely minced
• 3 tbsp neutral oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• ½ tsp sesame oil
• Black pepper
• A bunch of cilantro, chopped

For the sauce

• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• a pinch of dried chili powder (optional)

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

The gyoza dough

1. Mix the sifted flour with the boiling water and salt. Knead until you can form a ball. You may need to add a little more water if after a few minutes it doesn’t come together. Let rest covered for 15 minutes. Knead the dough briefly, then divide into two logs, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
2. Once the time has elapsed, dust your work surface with a bit of flour or better yet, cornstarch. Remove the plastic wrap from one log and cut it into 10 equal slices. Take one slice, form a ball, then roll it out into circles slightly larger than the palm of your hand. Place the dough circles on a plate with a bit of cornstarch or potato starch between each one so they don’t stick together.

Organization tip: You can freeze the dough circles at this stage for later use. In that case, 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 lightly, then add the cabbage, scallions, mushrooms, and carrots. Sauté everything for about 7 to 10 minutes, until tender and the liquid has evaporated.
2. Once the heat is off, add the cilantro, pepper, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Adjust seasoning with salt if needed (keeping in mind the soy sauce is already salty).

The sauce

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

You can also make my spring roll and nem sauce, which goes perfectly with gyozas too.

Shaping and cooking the gyozas

1. Place a dough circle in the palm of your hand, then add a generous teaspoon of filling in the center. There should be enough filling so the dumpling is full but not so much that it’s difficult to close. Brush the edge of the circle with a little water (so the edges can stick together), then pinch the two edges together in the middle and make pleats on one side that will stick to the other side, which remains flat. In truth, this step is more aesthetic than gustatory, but you quickly get the hang of it once you understand the technique!

2. Place the filled gyozas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper so that the sealed edges are facing up and the bottom remains flat. Cover with a kitchen towel so they don’t dry out.
3. Heat two tablespoons of neutral oil in a large non-stick skillet, then place the dumplings on their flat side (the one without 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 bottom of the dumpling has a nice golden color. Pour in 250ml (1 cup) of water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, then cover with a lid. Let cook for about 8 minutes or until the water has evaporated.
4. Serve immediately with the sauces.

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

Tips and organization

• Gyozas are very popular, consider doubling or tripling the recipe because you can freeze them before or after filling them. You’ll only need to fill and/or cook them when you want without thawing them first.
• If you don’t want to freeze them, know that both the filling and the dough can be prepared one to two days in advance and assembled at the last minute for cooking.

Variations

• For meat gyozas, reduce or replace the quantity of shiitake mushrooms with ground chicken that you’ll sauté with the vegetables.

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