Yaki Gyoza (Japanese style fried dumplins)

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:
    • Soya sauce
    • Vinegar

* 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