Pork Gyoza – Japanese Dumplings Recipe

Loaded with pork, cabbage, spring onion and authentic Japanese seasonings, Japanese dumplings are a PINCH to make! Steam fry these tasty pork gyoza until crispy and golden, then serve or freeze for later. Includes tasty gyoza dipping sauce ideas.

Why We Love This

Making Japanese dumplings at home may seem intimidating at first, but it’s actually very easy. The filling comes together quickly, and pleating the wrappers is super fun! Why not recruit a few friends and fold the gyoza while you catch up?

Homemade gyoza taste much better than any store bought dumpling, since you can make use of fresh high quality ingredients. It’s easy to adapt the recipe to use up what you have on hand, or make your own favourite combinations. 

Gyoza are great for making in big batches so you eat some now and freeze the rest for a tasty appetiser or main meal later on. No need to defrost, just pop them straight into a pan of boiling water and finish them off in the frypan.

Whip up a homemade dipping sauce alongside them, and it doesn’t get much better than that!

What are Gyoza? 

Gyoza (ぎょうざ) are Japanese dumplings made of minced pork and vegetables wrapped in a thin dumpling dough. In Japan you’ll find them served up in restaurants and izakayas through to street food stalls, and of course, made at home. 

The traditional Japanese cooking method involves frying them first, then adding a little water to the pan to steam. This way the bottoms are crispy and golden, while the tops are translucent and tender. 

The origins of gyoza reach back to China, where these delicious dumplings are known as Jiaozi (餃子) or “potstickers”. The method of cooking can be quite similar (although Chinese dumplings are often available boiled, steamed or fried) but the biggest difference is in the wrappers. Chinese potstickers are usually larger and made with a thicker wrapper. 

Filling ingredients vary from place to place too (see below for more variation ideas), but today’s recipe is for the most common style of pan-fried pork gyoza you’ll find across Japan.

What You’ll Need

• Wrappers – Look for fresh Japanese gyoza wrappers in the fridge at an Asian grocery. They’re much thinner than Chinese style wonton or dumpling wrappers. If you can only find Chinese style wrappers, they’ll still work perfectly and taste delicious, but the texture just won’t be quite the same. You could substitute with wonton wrappers or any other kind of dumpling wrappers in a pinch, or try making gyoza wrappers from scratch. If you do, you’ll need to allow extra time to prepare the dough. 
• Minced Pork – If possible, use very finely ground pork mince for the most traditional Japanese gyoza filling. If you don’t like pork, you can substitute for the same amount of minced chicken, turkey, shrimp/prawn or leave out the mince and make them veggie only. Beef is almost never used in traditional gyoza dumplings, but if you like it, feel free to use it. 
• Cabbage – This recipe traditionally calls for napa cabbage, but you can use any kind of cabbage.  If using thicker cabbage leaves, we recommend finely dicing so they mix through the rest of the filling mixture evenly.. You might also like to blanch or steam them first to make sure they’re nice and soft, but it’s not essential. 
• Spring Onion – We love using spring onion because it’s so readily available and the flavour is nice and mild. Traditionally, Japanese dumplings are made with garlic chives which have a much stronger flavour. You could even substitute with finely chopped leek if needed (or preferred). Totally up to you! 
• Seasonings – You’ll need garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil.

Gyoza Dipping Sauce Ideas

Your deliciously soft and crispy Japanese dumplings will be even better when served up with a few little bowls of homemade gyoza dipping sauce. 

• Gyoza Dipping Sauce – The classic gyoza sauce you’ll find in Japan can easily be made at home.
• Simple Dipping Sauce – Soy sauce, mirin and a sprinkling of shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice blend)
• Savoury Citrus Sauce – Mirin, ponzu, sesame oil, garlic, spring onion and crushed sesame seeds. 
• Spicy Dipping Sauce – Soy sauce, ginger, vinegar, and rayu (chili sesame oil) or garlic chili paste to taste.

How to make Gyoza:

1. Place the pork mince, chopped cabbage, spring onion, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, sugar and garlic salt into a large mixing bowl. Add any extra seasonings to your taste, such as a spoonful of red miso paste if you’re including it. Mix with your hands until the ingredients are nicely combined. 
2. Take a gyoza wrapper in one hand and top with a spoonful of pork filling into the centre (around 1 tbsp, but adjust to suit the size of your wrappers if needed). Using your finger, dab a small amount of water all around the edge of the wrapper. This will be your glue.
3. For the authentic gyoza wrapper shape – begin by folding the wrapper over the filling to make a semicircle, then pinch one corner with your fingers to seal. Gather more of the wrapper and overlap your first section slightly to make a dart, then pinch gently to seal. Continue until the gyoza is fully sealed (about 4 darts), then repeat for your remaining gyoza. Alternatively you can use a dumpling press to make this process easier.
4. To cook, heat the sesame oil in a large flat frying pan. Add the gyoza and fry on a high heat until the bottoms turn a toasty golden brown (1-2 mins).
5. Reduce the heat to low and add around 1/4 cup water into the pan. Be careful – the oil will spit if it’s too hot. Be ready to use the frying pan lid as a shield. Cover and steam the gyoza on low heat until all the water has evaporated and the gyoza are cooked through (around 2-3 mins).

Wandercook’s Tips

• Wrappers – If you can only find square wrappers, you can still use them – just use a round cookie cutter to cut them into circles. Cover your wrappers with a damp towel while working to keep them from drying out.
• Filling – Always use your hands to mix the filling as this will give you the best texture and get all those ingredients evenly mixed. You can use food-prep suitable gloves if you prefer to keep your hands clean. 
• Frying / Spitting Oil – Be extra careful when cooking the gyoza. If the oil is hot it will spit when you add the water. Use your frying pan lid as a shield!
• Keep Fresh – Either Cook or freeze your homemade gyoza straight after preparing them. This will ensure the wrappers don’t become soggy from the moisture in the filling. 
• Don’t Overcook – Just 3-4 mins should be enough to cook the dumplings through perfectly. 
• Easier Folding Method – If you don’t want to do the more traditional darts / pleated folds, you can do a simple straight edge instead. Just fold the wrappers over and seal into a half moon shape. Then pick them up and then tap the straight edge on your work surface to create the flat ‘bottom’ for frying.

FAQs

Variations & Substitutes

• Tweak the Flavour – Get creative with fillings. Switch up the protein, add grated carrot, or add red miso paste or chopped shiitake mushroom for extra umami flavour. 
• Veggies – To make things even easier, swap the cabbage for finely chopped coleslaw mix.
• Add Heat – You can add Japanese rayu (aka La Yu – sesame oil blended with chilli powder) in with the filling mixture or add it to the dipping sauces for an extra burst of heat and flavour.
• Sweet Finish? – Serve up some Japanese coffee jelly with matcha ice cream for dessert.

Looking for more delicious Japanese appetisers? Try these:

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