Crispy Gyoza (Japanese Pan-Fried Dumplings)

Ingredients

• 12 piece dumpling skins(store-bought or homemade)

• For the filling

  100 g ground pork
• 200 g cabbage
• 50 g garlic chives
• 3 tbsp (44ml) green onion(finely chopped)
• 0.5 tsp (2ml) ginger juice
• 1 tbsp (15ml) sake(or other dry cooking wine such as rice wine)
• 1 tsp (4g) sugar
• 1 tsp (5ml) soy sauce
• 1 tsp (5ml) sesame oil
• 0.5 tbsp (7ml) potato starch

• For cooking

  vegetable oil(as needed)

• For dipping

  soy sauce(optional)(as needed)
• vinegar(optional)(as needed)
• rayu (chili oil)(optional)(as needed)

Instructions

1. For the filling

   1

   Finely chop the cabbage and place it in a bowl. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt and let it sit for a while. Squeeze out excess water.

   Tip: Salting the cabbage removes excess moisture — this keeps the filling juicy, not watery.

2. 2

   In a bowl, combine the ground pork, prepared cabbage, garlic chives, green onion, ginger juice, sake, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and potato starch. Mix well until slightly sticky; this helps it hold together.

   Tip: Pleating isn’t required — a simple fold‑and‑press works fine.

3. Assembly

   3

   Place a small amount of filling in the center of each dumpling skin. Fold the skin over the filling and press the edges to seal.

   Tip: Use water to help seal if necessary

4. Cooking

   4

   Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Arrange the dumplings in the pan.

   Tip: Use medium heat to avoid burning the bottoms before the filling cooks

5. 5

   Once the bottoms are golden brown, add water to the pan, covering about 1/3 of the height of the dumplings, and cover. Steam on low heat until the water evaporates, about 5 minutes.

   Tip: Ensure the dumplings are cooked through.

6. 6

   Remove the lid and continue cooking the dumplings on medium heat, until the bottom crisps up.

7. Serving

   7

   (Optional) Serve with soy sauce, vinegar, and chili oil for dipping.

   Tip: aAclassic blend is 2 parts soy sauce , 1 part vinegar, and a few drops of chili oil