Japanese Pork Gyoza are a delicacy of thin dough enclosing a soft and juicy filling. Japanese gyoza are like Chinese jiaozi, both are stuffed dumplings, the difference lies in the dough thickness, with gyoza being thinner and characterized by a double cooking method, fried on the bottom for crispiness and then steamed by adding some water in the pan and covering. This preparation is widely known in Italy due to many Japanese restaurants, and once tasted, they are hard to give up. In this recipe, I prepared gyoza filled with pork, sesame oil, ginger, scallion, cabbage, and soy sauce. You’ll just need a bit of patience for folding, which at first won’t be simple, but with practice, you’ll master it perfectly. Now, you just have to try!!
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 30 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Steaming
- Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup room temperature water
- 1 pinch salt
- 10 1/2 oz ground pork
- 5 oz cabbage or Chinese cabbage
- 1 scallion
- 4 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- to taste ginger
- to taste pepper
Tools
- Pan
- Rolling Pin
Steps
In a container, add water, salt, and water, and start mixing.
Then turn the dough onto a work surface and form a compact ball.
Wrap in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, wash the vegetables,
then chop them finely.
Put them in the container and add the pork, water, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, water, pepper, and salt.
Mix all the ingredients well, cover, and let rest in the refrigerator for an hour.
After the resting time, roll out a dough sheet of about 1/8 inch, using a rolling pin or a pasta machine. Use a 3-inch cutter to form circles.
Take the filling from the fridge and start filling the gyoza, using a teaspoon to place a small amount in the center, leaving the edges free for sealing (if you notice there is too much filling when closing, stop and remove the excess with the help of a knife).
Now proceed with sealing the gyoza, starting to pinch the tip and make small folds. Watch the video in box no. 16
Once you have finished sealing, take the pan, add a bit of oil at the bottom, and arrange the gyoza spaced apart.
Turn on moderate heat and toast them for about 3 minutes until they are golden brown at the base.
When you hear frying, check the gyoza bottom; if it’s golden, add a bit of water (up to almost half of the gyoza).
Cover, lower the flame to the minimum, and cook for about 12 minutes.
The Japanese pork gyoza are ready. Marvelous!! Before enjoying, drizzle with a bit of soy sauce.
Storage
You can store pork gyoza either cooked or raw in the refrigerator for 1 day. Alternatively, you can freeze them raw by arranging them spaced apart on a tray, and once well frozen, transfer them into plastic bags.
