Dumplings are always a favorite of mine. I love that they can make a quick meal and how you can cook them in many ways.   This recipe is a non-recipe because most filling varies from recipe to recipe.  There are no real set measurements and you can eye the amount of each ingredient.  A guide to most gyoza filling is 50% meat and 50% veggies.  Here is what I did to make these gyozas.

Dumplings are a wonderful dish to make in mass quantities.  Extras can be frozen and cooked at a later time. You can cook them frozen. No need to thaw.   For this recipe, you need garlic, napa cabbage, pork, shrimp, green onion, shallots, ginger, cornstarch, soy sauce, sesame oil and wonton wrappers.

Remember if you are using prawns with shell, save the shells for another use. They have lots of flavor. I made miso soup with it.  Start this recipe by making the filling.  Prep the ingredients one at a time. They all need to be cut into small diced pieces.  The ginger can be ground to a paste.   Chop the napa cabbage finely and add some salt. Allow to sit for about 30 minutes to allow the water to drain.

Mix the pork and shrimp together until the pork is sticky. This is important as it makes the meat stick together.   Drain the napa cabbage and squeeze out any excess water.  Portion out the meat and add equal amounts of cabbage. Add the other ingredients. Mix well.

Now your gyozas are ready to be assembled. Get a bowl of water ready and sprinkle a baking sheet with flour.

To make this easy, I used premade wonton wrappers. Place a spoonful of filling in the center of the wrapper.  Wet the edge of the wrapper.

Start folding one side of the dumpling with tiny folds until  you have folded about half way. Pinch the edges together.  The water should help it stick together.  Place on the floured tray.

When you have completed making the whole tray, place in the fridge and allow to marinade overnight.  The next day you can place the tray into the freezer until the dumplings are frozen.  Store in plastic freezer bags.

When you are ready to cook them, heat a non stick pan with plenty of oil. I used a cast iron pan.  Lay out the dumplings in the oil.  Allow to cook on medium until the bottoms of the dumplings begin to brown on the edges.  At this time, pour about 1/4 cup of water in the pan and cover with a lid.  Steam the dumplings for about 10 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked through. Usually it is done when the water has evaporated.

Serve with the crispy side up.  You can buy gyoza sauce or enjoy these with some soy sauce.  You can also boil these dumplings in some water and serve with udon noodles.  Try this easy miso udon recipe.  If you have extra filling, make fried rice!

Gyoza recipe – basic recipe, makes about 40-50 gyoza

• 2 cups ground pork (*fattier pork makes a more tender dumpling)
• 1 cup shrimp, diced
• 3 cups napa cabbge cut finely, salted and drained
• 1/2 cup shallots, finely diced
• 2-3 stalks green onion
• 2 tbsp garlic, finely diced
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp soya sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 package of wonton wrappers

Salt the napa cabbage and allow to drain for about 30 minutes.  Squeeze out any excess water. Mix together the pork and shrimp until it gets sticky.  Add all remaining ingredients and mix well. Place about 1 tsp of filling into eat wonton wrapper.  Wet the edges of the wrapper and begin folding the wrapper on one side.  Pinch edges together.  Place dumplings on a floured baking tray.  Refrigerate overnight to allow ingredients to marinade.  Place the tray in the freezer to freeze dumplings.  Once frozen, store dumplings in plastic freezer bags.

To make pan fried dumplings, preheat a caste iron (or non stick) pan.  Pour enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Place frozen dumplings flat side down.  Turn heat to medium.  When the dumplings are beginning to brown, pour about 1/4 cup of water into the pan and cover with a lid. Steam dumpling for about 10 minutes or until the water has disappeared.  Serve crispy side up.  You can buy pre-made gyoza sauce or eat with soy sauce.

Try our Korean Mandu dumplings: https://eatitnoworeatitlater.com/2014/11/22/mandu-korean-dumplings/

Try some of our other recipes  https://eatitnoworeatitlater.com/recipe-list/