Homemade Gyoza

Best Japanese Potstickers

Every culture has its own version of dumplings, and while they are all wonderful and delicious, I’m a bit biased when it comes to Japanese Gyoza, especially the ones created in my mom’s kitchen. Growing up, I’ve made thousands of these with her, but she never wrote down the recipe, just like with all of her cooking. So I’m excited to share with you my version of her incredible gyoza that you too can whip up in your own kitchen. Plus, I’ll show you how to make a simple dipping sauce that pairs perfectly with them.

Prepare the Cabbage: First, we’ll begin by finely chopping about 450 grams of cabbage. This looks like a lot, but trust me, this will be just the perfect amount. It will also lose a lot of its volume after mixing in 2 teaspoons of salt. Massage the salted cabbage really well and let this sit for about 20 minutes. This will draw out excess moisture from the cabbage, which is an essential process for our gyoza filling.

 Prepare the Aromatics: While the cabbage is resting, let’s get the rest of our ingredients ready. Along with the fresh garlic and ginger, which are two of the most commonly used ingredients in Asian cooking, we are also going to need another popular herb – garlic chives. Because I love this herb so much, I grow it in my garden, but if you can’t find it at your local Asian grocery store, a good substitution would be regular chives or scallions.

Squeeze the Cabbage: After it has rested, squeeze out as much liquid as you can using a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth, or simply with your hands like my mom does. You can probably understand why this step is so important after seeing how much water comes out of the cabbage. Also, do NOT rinse the cabbage, which is a common mistake that many people make at this point.

Mix the Filling: We are finally ready to mix the filling. In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, squeezed cabbage, garlic, ginger, garlic chives, cornstarch, soy sauce, sake, sugar, black pepper, and toasted sesame oil. Mix everything together thoroughly until all the ingredients are well combined. Your hands will be the best tool for this job.

Fill the Gyoza Wrappers: Next, we’ll move on to filling our gyoza wrappers. These are the ones that I’m using, and they are very different from the square wonton wrappers, so make sure to get the gyoza wrappers. If you’re using frozen wrappers, make sure they are fully defrosted. Take one wrapper and place about a teaspoon of filling in the center, making sure not to overfill. Wet the edge of the wrapper with a little water, fold it over to create a half-moon shape, and press the edges together to seal. You can leave them as is, or pleat the edges for that classic gyoza look. Please watch my video to see how I form these pleat edges in slow motion. I may make it seem easy, but remember, I have made THOUSANDS of these for decades.

Chill or Freeze: Once all your gyozas are filled and sealed, you can freeze them or cook them right away. I often make a big batch and keep them in the freezer for whenever I want quick meals or snacks, since you can cook them directly right out of the freezer.

Cook the Gyozas: Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and add a bit of oil for frying. Place the gyozas in the skillet, making sure they’re not touching each other. Fry them for about 1-2 minutes, or until the bottoms are just starting to get some color and beginning to crisp up. After this point, add about a quarter cup of water to the skillet and immediately cover it with a lid and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the gyozas steam for about 5 minutes. The steam will cook the filling all the way through and make the wrappers tender. By this time, your gyozas should be fully cooked. Remove the lid and let any remaining water evaporate. Let the gyozas fry for another minute to re-crisp the bottoms.

And there you have it – homemade Japanese Gyoza right from my childhood. These are perfect for parties, appetizers, or even a light meal. Serve them hot and watch them disappear in no time.

Sipping suggestions: A cold beer or Sake. But as always, You do YOU!!