We often order gyozas when we eat out – they’re so tasty and always leave you wanting more. I’ve never attempted to make them at home though. All those delicately folded pleats always seemed like a lot of work. But, I got some gyoza wrappers recently and I was intent on learning the art of folding gyoza. It turns out its pretty simple, though it does require a bit of patience…and maybe small hands 🙂 I made a simple ginger and chicken filling with a little cabbage, carrot and soy sauce. I served them with a ginger and soy dipping sauce -they were delicious. We devoured them straight away, and I just managed to keep a few behind for the photo . Here in America, gyozas are sometimes called potstickers, as they have a tendency to stick to the pot. I used a great non-stick skillet though, and had no problems with them sticking to the pot. I can’t wait to make gyozas again, and looking forward to experimenting with lots of different filings.
Makes 18 gyoza
Ingredients
- 1 cooked chicken breast, cut into small pieces
- 50g /½ cup of shredded carrot and white cabbage
- 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 1 and ½ tablespoons of soy sauce
- some freshly ground pepper
- 18-20 gyoza wrappers
Cooking
- 1 tablespoon of oil
- 1/8 cup /30mls of water
Dipping Sauce
- 1 thin slice of ginger, peeled
- 1 and ½ tablespoons of soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon of seasame oil
- ½ teaspoon of lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon of water
- 1 scallion , finely chopped
Method
To make the dipping sauce – place a slice of ginger, soy, sesame oil, lemon juice, sugar, fish sauce and water into a small dish and stir. Finally add the sliced scallions to the dipping sauce.
For the gyoza -Place the chicken, shredded carrots and cabbage into the blender and pulse once or twice until the mixture clumps together. You don’t want to process too much, or the mixture will be dry- it needs to be just roughly chopped. Add the ginger, soy and pepper and stir together with a spoon. You should end up with a chunky chicken and vegetable paste.
Organize a clear space/ counter top where you can make the gyoza. Have a small ramekin/cup of cold water on hand to wet the edges of the gyoza. I used this video as a guide to folding the gyoza.
Place the gyoza wrapper on a plate. Next, place one teaspoon of the chicken filling in the center of the gyoza wrapper. You want to get the filing as close to the center as possible and keep the edges of the wrapper clean. Using your finger, wet the edges of the gyoza wrapper with a little water. Pinch the gyoza wrapper in half, encasing the filling, to form a half moon shape. Close the wrapper by pleating the edges together using your finger. The video demonstrates this quite well. Pinch the edges with your finger to ensure a tight seal. Continue to make the rest of the gyoza in the same way.
Use a skillet / frying pan with a lid to cook your gyoza. It’s essential you have a lid to steam the gyoza. Add the olive oil to the skillet and place over a medium high heat. Add the gyoza to the skillet and leave cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Once they are evenly browned on both sides, add the water and place the lid on the skillet. Allow the gyoza to steam for about 5 -8 minutes, until all the water has evaporated. Remove from the pan and serve straight away with the dipping sauce.
