gyoza – Bembum Kithcen

“*We’ve eaten a lot of dumplings in restaurant but somehow, we always come back to these recipe*“

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.

I remember sitting in my Mom’s kitchen, learning to fold these.
My fingers clumsily stumbling over everything, getting the wrappers way too wet, putting in too much filling 🤣

And after a couple times trial and error, I manage to learn it and never imagined that I could sold them quite well 😂

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.

The skirt of Gyoza itself is made with flour or starch mixed with water

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.

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.

Simply combine **500 g All-Purpose Flour** and **260 g Water**

Once you don’t see any leftover dry flour you can stop mixing it (Don’t worry if the dough looks rough at this point)

Cover with a cling wrap and let it rest for **20 Minutes**
(By letting the dough rest, gluten bonds will begin forming, the dough will start to smooth out and soften)

After 20 Minutes the dough become softer.
Knead it again for about **1-2 min** until it’s form a smooth medium-firm dough
Then cover and leave to rest for a further **60 minutes (max. 2 hours)** before shaping

How to Prepare the Filling

Cut **1 kg cabbage** half lengthwise, rinse it under running water to remove any excess debris or dirt

Chop the cabbages lengthwise (**1 cm wide**);
Turn it over, and then chop as finely as possible (**about 1 x 1 cm**)

Place the chopped cabbages in a big bowl, scatter them with **2 tablespoons of salt**; massage the salt through (the purpose of adding the salt is to draw the excess moisture out)

Once the salt is incorporated, let it sit for about **20-30 minutes**
After 20 minutes, you can see a lot of liquid coming out of the cabbage

Use a muslin clothes of strainer, squeeze all the liquid ( I like to use muslin cloth because I can squeeze it all at once in large quantities)

Squeeze out all the liquid as much as you can (it’s a bit tiring, be patient 😚)
Set that aside…

Clean the **125 g Prawn** (remove the head and the outer shell, legs and the tail). Using a kitchen scissor cut along the back of the prawn, discard the dark vein that runs under the surface.

For the Prawn Paste, blend **125 g Prawns**, **1½ tbs Coriander Leaves**, **1/2 tsp Ginger**, **1½ tbs Green Onion**, **1 tbs Garlic**, **1 tbs Sesame Oil**, **1/2 tbs Fish Sauce**, **1/2 tbs Light Soy Sauce** and **1/2 tbs Vegetable Oil** in a food processor

Now, let’s combine all the filling ingredients
Mix **250 g Minced Pork (with fat)**, **Blended Prawn Paste**, **1/2 tbs Sago or Tapioca Starch**, **1/2 tbs Salt**, **2 tbs Sugar** and **1/2 tsp White Pepper Powder**
Mix it really well

Add in the **Squeezed Cabbage**, mix again until fully incorporated with the meat mixture

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.

Dumpling Folding Techniques

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

But if you like to freeze the **uncooked dumplings**, place them on a **container or baking sheet** **lined with Parchment** **Paper** and **a bit of flour** (**make sure non of the dumplings touch each other**)

**Wrap** the container or baking sheet tightly, allow to freeze overnight

On the next day, they will be hard as rock.
Transfer them to **Ziplog Bag** and throw them back into freezer for use later (**consume within 3 months**)

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

Heat the **NON-STICK pan** over **MEDIUM HIGH heat**, add about **2 tbs of Vegetable Oil**
Place dumplings in a circular formation (**make sure each bottom of the dumplings is in touch with the oil**) leave a little bit of space between each one
Allow them to fry for a couple minutes

Check the **bottom part** of the dumplings
Once it turned **light brown**, pour in the **Water** (make sure it **cover one half part of the dumplings**)

**Cover it with the lid** and steam over **HIGH heat** for about **10 minutes**
After 10 minutes, you can see that the water has reduce quite a lot (**shake the pan to make sure there’s nothing sticking to the pan**)

After 10 minutes **open the lid**, **lower the heat to MEDIUM LOW** and continue cook **until the water is fully evaporated**

Check the **bottom part** of the dumplings, when they are **golden brown and crips**, its done!

The filling is tender and juicy while the bottom are crispy 🥰

GYOZA 餃子

Prepare “Starch Mixture” in advance for the Gyoza “skirt”
Mix **300 g Water** with **2 tbs Potato Strach** (can be substitute it with **Corn Starch/ Plain Flour/ Rice Flour**)

Check the **bottom part** of the dumplings
Once it turned **light brown**, pour in the **Starch Mixture** (don’t forget to stir the mixture before you pour it, to make sure that the starch is evenly distribute)
You **don’t need to use all the starch mixture**, just make sure it **cover one half part of the dumplings** *(if you use bigger pan, you might need more starch mixture; kindly double the recipe as needed)*

**Cover it with the lid** and steam over **HIGH heat** for about **10 minutes**

Watch carefully, **when the skirts start to dry**, drip some Sesame Oil **around the dumplings** (these Sesame Oil is going to **help the skirt brown**, **make it crispier** and also **adds a beautiful flavour**)

Cook for a further minutes, **pay attention to the gaps around the Gyoza**, so you can judge **how brown** you want it to be

Once it’s done, **give a little shake, make sure there’s nothing sticking**; place a plate on top and carefuly flip the Gyoza

Enjoy the beautiful crispy skirt 😘
There’s a satisfaction in making a crisp sound when breaking the dumplings apart! 🤪

BOILED (Shui Jiao) 水饺

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

Over HIGH HEAT, bring a pot of **water to a full boil** and gently slide in the dumplings
Stir them gently, make sure there’s no dumplings stick at the bottom of the pan

Once the water come back to a full boil, add **1 cup of Water**, **close the lid** again and **let it back to a full boil again**.
**Repeat the process** of a boil and add water 2 more times

When they are **fully cooked**, the dumplings should be **plump** and **floating on the surface**
**Drain it** and you can serve it immediately

Although not very popular in restaurant, boiled dumpling is my favourite since childhood; as I love the soft yet slightly chewy texture and its non-greasy taste.
Don’t let them wait too long, **boiled dumplings BEST SERVE when it still hot** 🤩

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”

To make it, simply mix all the ingredients
**120 g Hot Garlic Chili Sauce, 30 g Water, 1 tbs Sugar, 1 tsp Sesame Oil, 1 tbs Light Soy Sauce, 1 tsp Chinese Black Vinegar and 1 tbs Garlic (minced)**

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.

Bembum Kithcen

Tag: gyoza

Traditional Chinese Dumpling 饺子 (Gyoza) from Scratch