Jiaozi (Chinese transliteration) or
Gyōza
(Japanese transliteration) and also known as
Mandu (Korean transliteration), is a kind of Chinese dumpling, widely popular in China,
Japan, and Korea, as well as outside of East Asia.
Gyoza typically consist of a ground meat and/or vegetable filling wrapped
into a thinly rolled piece of dough, which is then sealed by pressing the edges together or by crimping.
Gyoza should not be confused with
Wonton: Gyoza have a thicker skin and a flatter, more oblate, double-saucer like shape (similar in shape to ravioli), and is usually eaten with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce (and/or hot chili sauce); while a wonton has a thinner skin, is sphere-shaped, and is usually served in broth.
In China dumplins are usually eaten either steamed, fried or in a soup. Japanese
gyoza, however, are usually fried. There are many kinds of fillings used, e.g.
with different seafood instead of the meat, other vegetable, etc.
The Japanese word gyoza was derived from the reading of Îõí (Jiaozi
in Mandarin Chinese) in the Shandong Chinese
dialect (giaozi) and is written using the
same Chinese characters.
The most prominent differences of
Japanese-style gyoza from Chinese style
jiaozi are the rich garlic flavor, which is
less noticeable in the Chinese version, and
the fact that Japanese-style gyoza are very
lightly flavored with salt, soy, and that
the Gyoza wrappers are much thinner than the
Chinese counterpart. They are always served
with soy-based dipping sauce (tare) seasoned
with rice vinegar and/or rayu (red chili pepper-flavored sesame
oil). The most common recipe found in Japan
is a mixture of minced pork, garlic,
cabbage, and nira (Chinese chives), and
sesame oil, which is then wrapped into
thinly-rolled dough skins.
Gyoza
can be found in supermarkets and restaurants
throughout Japan. Pan-fried gyoza is sold
as a side dish in almost all ramen and
Chinese restaurants in Japan.
The most popular preparation method is
the pan-fried style called yaki-gyoza in Japan, in which the dumpling is first
fried on one flat side, creating a crispy
skin. Then, water is added and the pan
sealed with a lid, until the upper part of
the gyoza
is steamed. Other popular methods include
boiled sui-gyoza and deep fried age-gyoza.
They are best enjoyed while still
steaming hot.
Ingredients: (for 30 Gyoza)
- Dough:
- 170 mL water
- 200 g strong flour
- Filling:
- 200 g ground pork
- Cabbage
- Nira*
can be substituted by leek or green
onion
- Leek or Green onion
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Sake*
- Soya sauce, salt, and pepper
- Sesame oil
- Dipping Sauce:
* This
ingredient may not be available in Western
supermarkets, but you should be able to find
it in Japanese grocery stores that exist in
most large European and American cities.
Top
|