Gyoza (Japanese dumplings)
These delicious little savoury parcels are so dainty but so moreish – try them once and you’ll be hooked. Choose from two delicious options: go meaty with pork mince or try a crab and prawn version.
Ingredients
For the gyoza skins
- 300²µ/10½´Ç³ú strong white flour, plus extra for rolling
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 200ml/7fl oz boiling water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
For the chicken or pork version
- 500g/1lb 2oz pork or chicken mince
- 1 head pak choi, very finely shredded
- ¾in/2cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled, grated
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp chopped spring onion (green part only)
- ½ tsp ground chilli flakes
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- pinch sugar
For the crab and prawn version
- 1 dressed crab (dark and white meat)
- 200g/7oz cooked, peeled North Atlantic prawns, chopped
- ½ tsp fine salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- ½ lemon, zest only, finely grated
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp chopped spring onion (green part only)
- 2cm/¾in piece fresh root ginger, peeled, grated
For the dipping sauce
- splash soy sauce
- splash lime juice
- splash chilli oil
Method
For the gyoza skins, sift the flour into a large bowl and mix in the salt.
Stir in the boiling water using a knife or a pair of chopsticks until the mixture comes together as a dough. (You many not need to use all of the water.)
Roll the dough into a ball, cover with cling film and set aside to rest for one hour.
To make the chicken or pork filling, mix all of the chicken or pork filling ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until well combined (the ingredients will form a gloopy paste). Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Chill in the fridge until needed.
Alternatively, if you're making the crab and prawn version, mix all of the crab and prawn filling ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until well combined (the ingredients will form a gloopy paste). Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Chill in the fridge until needed.
For the gyoza skin, turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for five minutes until smooth and elastic. (You can use the dough hook attachment of a food processor for this.)
Cut the dough into three equally sized pieces and roll each into a ball. Roll out one of the balls onto a lightly floured work surface, stretching and turning the dough as you go, until the gyoza dough is as thin as possible.
Using a 10cm/4in cookie cutter, cut discs from the gyoza dough and stack them on top of each other, dusting the top of each with a little flour before adding the next one. Repeat the rolling and cutting process until all of the dough has been used.
To assemble the dumplings, hold a gyoza skin in the palm of your hand and add one teaspoon of the filling mixture. Wet the edges with a little water using your fingertip and seal the dumpling, pinching along the edges to create a pleated fan effect (the end result should resemble a mini Cornish pasty). Repeat the process until all of the filling mixture and gyoza skins have been used up, setting each dumpling aside on a plate dusted with flour.
To cook the dumplings, heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan with a lid over a high heat. Arrange the gyoza in the pan, in batches if necessary, leaving space between each one, and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden-brown. Take care as they will burn quickly.
Add 100ml/3½fl oz of water to the pan, cover with the lid and steam the dumplings for a further two minutes.
Give the pan a shake to release the gyoza from the bottom of the pan and continue to cook for a further two minutes with the lid off, until the filling is completely cooked through.
Meanwhile, for the dipping sauce, mix all of the dipping sauce ingredients together in a small bowl, to taste. Set aside.
When the gyoza are cooked through, drizzle the sesame oil around the edges of the frying pan and shake the pan.
Serve the gyoza immediately with the dipping sauce.
Recipe Tips
To check the seasoning of the filling mixture before making the gyoza, fry a little of your chosen filling mixture in a frying pan and taste, then adjust the seasoning accordingly.
If you don’t have time to make the gyoza skins from scratch, they can be bought from Asian supermarkets.