These are little pockets of light, joy and deliciousness; My little nephew can literally devour them by the plateful. 🥲😄 Maybe… this is the dumpling recipe that you need.“

The original Chinese dumplings are called Jiaozi (饺子) (also known as Gyoza in Japanese Language).

These dumplings consist of ground meat and vegetable filling that are wrapped into a thinly rolled piece of dough, which is then sealed by pressing the edges together.

Chinese dumplings (Jiaozi) may be divided into various types depending on how they are cooked.

• Boiled or Water dumplings called 水饺 (shuǐjiǎo)
• Steamed dumplings called 蒸饺 (zhēngjiǎo)

• Pan-fried or Pan-Stick dumplings called 煎饺 (jiānjiǎo) or 锅贴 (guōtiē); also referred to as “Pot-Stickers”
• Deep-fried dumplings called 炸饺 (zhà jiǎo)
• Soup dumplings called 汤饺 (tāngjiǎo)

So what is the japanese version like?

The method of cooking Gyoza actually almost similar to Pan-Fried Method.
The difference is that Gyoza has a “golden skirt” surrounding the fried dumplings, gluing all the dumplings together.

They are first fried in a hot pan until crispy brown on the bottom sides, then starch mixture is added before the pan is covered to quickly steam the entire dumplings.

This technique gives Gyoza the best mix of textures, where you get crispy bottoms and tender soft tops that encase the juicy filling inside

This recipe produce 65-70 pieces.
I will guide you step by step on how to make it and also show you 3 methods for cooking the dumplings; Pan Fried, Boiled and Gyoza style.
Different method will produce slightly different texture but all of them are appetizing.

Dumplings are so handy to have, I really encourage you to make a big batch if time permits. 
I hope this recipe provides all the information you need for a successful outcome (CLICK this link and  follow instructions in the video for more details)
🥟 Love you All

Let’s Talk about Dumpling Fillings

• Pork –While the original Chinese dumplings use ground beef, pork, lamb, chicken, fish, and shrimp for fillings; classic Gyoza usually consists of ground pork.
  I prefer mixing pork and shrimp to develop and add a deeper umami flavour to the overall filling.
• Cabbage –Chinese dumpling use Napa cabbage, but regular cabbage is commonly used for Gyoza.
  As cabbage leaves are thick and hard, we use different ways to make the cabbage leaves wilted. I’m prefer to sprinkle salt to dehydrate the cabbage and squeeze the water out before mixing with meat.
• Chinese Chives –Some people adds Chinese chives to their dumpling, but I usually skip the chives as my family don’t like its strong taste.
  Instead, I add more green onions to the filling.
• Aromatics –Garlic is commonly used in dumpling.
  My mom always adds grated ginger and Coriander leaves too, so I do the same for my recipe.
• Seasonings – The seasonings are simple, with just Fish Sauce, Light Soy Sauce, Sugar and a pinch of Salt and Pepper.
  This way you can just enjoy the flavour and freshness of the main ingredients.
• Binder – A bit of Sago or Tapioca Starch will make the insides of your dumplings super tender. It’s the secret to juicy, tender dumplings!
  When you mix the water & starch and mix everything, it will come together into a homogenous paste, that’s what you want!
• Vegetable and Sesame Oil – A little secret that can not only lock in the moisture of the vegetable fillings, but also enhance the aroma of the dumpling fillings.
  

Be Creative –  There is plenty of room for creativity when comes to making dumpling. Feel free to experiment with different ingredients or seasonal vegetables.
For example, you can add some shiitake mushrooms to the filling. I like the meaty texture and juicy umami flavour from shiitake mushrooms.

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How to Make the Skin Dough

All-Purpose or Plain Flour works very well for dumpling skin or wrapper.
It’s possible to use bread flour, but you might find the cooked wrappers a little too chewy. 
You can also use a special dumpling bleached flour for a whiter results.
I personally don’t prefer to use it for a healthy reason.
You can make dumpling dough either by hand or in a stand mixer with a dough hook.

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How to Prepare the Filling

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Roll and Shape the Dumpling Skin

Cut about 1/3 of the dough (make sure that you keep the rest wrapped up so it doesn’t dry out).
Roll the dough into a 2 cm diameter ropes; and then cut it into small equal pieces (about 1 cm wide). There’s no need to be perfect or exactly even.
Flatten each piece into a round disc with the palm of your hand (this basic shape will make it easier when you roll it).
And then roll them into thin wrappers with a rolling pin; I use a roll & turn technique which produces wrappers that are thinner on the edge but slightly thicker in the middles (perfect for dumpling folding). If the dough sticks to the work surface or the rolling pin, dust with a little flour.

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Dumpling Folding Techniques

If you planned to eat them fresh, just place the finished dumplings on a floured surface to keep them from sticking

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Cooking Method

A thick heavy bottom NON-STICK pan with a lid is a perfect way to fry the dumplings.
This kind of pan is important to ensure the even distribution of the heat so that every dumpling can be cooked to a similar golden colour.
You can use regular pan, but you run the risk of the dumplings sticking to the bottom of the pan; you don’t want to ruin your hard work 😒

And for the Gyoza, whatever the size of your pan, make sure you’ve got a plate that fits on top of it;
Because you are going to turn out a Gyoza at the end, so if your plate is not the right size, you can end up with a bit of mess.
And make sure you use a deep pan and enough water to boil the dumplings 😉

No matter how you wish to cook them, frozen dumpling don’t need to be defrosted beforehand
Let’s start cooking!

PAN FRIED (Guo Tie) 锅贴

GYOZA 餃子

BOILED (Shui Jiao) 水饺

We will use the Chinese Traditional Method called Dian Shui (点水) to boil the dumplings

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Dipping Sauce

No dumpling is complete without a delicious dipping sauce ☺️
For my family, dipping sauce is very important for dumplings, especially if you like spicy; you might interest to try my “MOM’s Special Homemade Sauce”

Notes

• To Freeze the Uncooked Dumplings
  If you’d like to freeze the uncooked dumplings, wrap the container tightly ,allow to freeze overnight (freeze them in a single layer, don’t stack).
  And then on the next day, transfer them to Ziploc bags and throw them back into the freezer for use later. Freeze up to 2 months for best flavour and texture (consume within 3 months).
• To Store the Left-Over Cooked Dumplings and Reheating
  In the refrigerator, cooked dumplings will last about 3-5 days. Always put them in an airtight container to prevent the dumplings from drying out.
• To reheat the left-over cooked dumplings
  Pan-Fried and Gyozain the preheated 180°C oven for about 10-15 minutes
  Boiled recook in the hot boiling water for about 5 minutes.
  

Watch How to Make “traditional chinese Dumpling 饺子 (Gyoza) from Scratch”