Japanese gyoza dumplings: recipe and ingredients

Gedza are dumplings prepared in the best traditions of Japanese cuisine. At some point, some representatives of the Russian population learned about their existence. As many of those who tasted this dish for the first time admit, it is distinguished by its uniqueness and unusualness. Gedza dumplings have an original aroma that captivates from the first try.

These dumplings can be easily prepared at home. To make them as tasty as possible, you just need to strictly follow the cooking technology described in the recipe. At the end of the day, a more or less experienced housewife should end up with a very tasty and satisfying dish that can surprise not only the household, but also all invited guests.

Features of gyoza

Japanese dumplings look like large dumplings, which are traditional for Russian and Ukrainian cuisines. However, significant differences can be found in the process of preparing these dishes. The main feature of gyoza preparation technology is that this dish must be fried in sesame oil - this is exactly what cooks do in traditional Japanese restaurants. Thanks to this stage, the resulting dumplings are incredibly tender in taste and aromatic.

Chinese and Japanese dumplings

Gyoza is not entirely a unique Japanese invention. It was adapted from the Chinese jiaozi dumplings.

But instead of boiled, bucket-shaped dumplings filled with pork, gyoza is crescent-shaped and contains minced pork and cabbage.

Some of the most common dumplings in the world are Chinese.

Chinese dumplings are commonly called potstickers and are compared to Japanese gyoza because they are the most common type of dough dumpling in Japan.

The difference between Chinese and Japanese dumplings, mainly gyoza, is that Chinese potstickers have a thicker dough or wrapper.

This is because potstickers are usually steamed. Gyoza has a thinner wrapper, making it easy to fry in a Japanese teppan pan.

Read more: 3 Main Differences Between Chinese and Japanese Food: Explained

Special Ingredients for Gyoza

In order to prepare traditional Japanese dumplings, it is advisable to use ingredients whose use is typical for cooking developed in the Land of the Rising Sun. Among them are sake and oyster sauce. In addition, if you want to prepare gyoza that will taste as close as possible to Japanese, you need to use grated ginger root and garlic shoots. Semi-finished products, as mentioned above, should be fried exclusively in sesame oil.

Of course, any of these ingredients can be replaced with something similar. For example, sesame oil for vegetable oil, and sake for vodka. However, in this case, the taste of the finished dish will not be traditional. That is why many Japanese chefs recommend that everyone who wants to cook gyoza according to a Japanese cuisine recipe look for traditional products that are sold on the shelves of Asian stores. There will be no problems with this in Moscow and other large cities of the Russian Federation.

How did gyoza end up in Japan?

Gedza is a direct relative of the Chinese jiaozi dumplings. It is known that in the Land of the Rising Sun they became popular in the second half of the 20th century, when, after the end of the Sino-Japanese and World War II, troops began to return to their homeland. The soldiers, accustomed to Chinese cuisine, introduced a new recipe into the culinary culture of Japan.

The main difference between gedza and jiaozi is the thickness of the shell. Since Chinese dumplings are intended to be cooked in broth, the dough for them is made thicker. The Japanese variation is most often fried, so the dough is rolled out very thin.

At first, gyoza were not the main course; they were served as an appetizer. However, recently more and more restaurants have opened in Japan, specializing only in these dumplings, where they are prepared with different fillings. In addition, gyoza is now one of the popular semi-finished products. Moreover, they often sell not the dumplings themselves, but flatbreads in which all that remains is to wrap the filling, because it is quite difficult to prepare the perfect thin dough at home.

How to make gyoza

To begin with, roll out the prepared dough into a small sausage about 2 cm thick, after which it should be cut into small pads so that each one turns out to be a circle about 8 cm in diameter. Each pad should be rolled out to a circle of optimal thickness and the prepared minced meat should be placed on them. As for making gyoza, it is made in the same way as in the case of traditional dumplings or dumplings. Of course, more sophisticated housewives can diversify the appearance of the product - this will make it more beautiful and original.

How to prepare the dough

Properly prepared gyoza dough is the key to the successful taste of the dish. According to the classic gyoza recipe, it can be made from 180 g of wheat flour, which must be sifted several times before use. After this, add 50 ml of hot water, which must be introduced in a thin stream, as well as salt. Once the ingredients are combined, you need to knead the dough. The end result should be very smooth to the touch.

After the dough is ready, wrap it in cling film and leave for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Classic Japanese dumpling recipe. Preparing the dough

Despite the exotic nature of this dish, it is not difficult to prepare. Even inexperienced cooks will be able to pamper their loved ones with an unusual oriental dinner.

Before you start cooking, you need to know how to properly prepare the dough for Japanese dumplings. There is nothing complicated about this, but if you still have doubts that you can prepare it yourself, we suggest buying something ready-made. Fortunately, today you can find anything you want in every supermarket.

For the dough you only need three ingredients:

Wheat flour – 500 g.
Drinking water – glass (250 ml).
Salt - a teaspoon.

To prepare the dough, you need to dissolve the salt in warm water. Then add to the flour and knead into an elastic dough. It should not stick to your hands. Once the dough is ready, cover it with cling film and let it sit for about half an hour. It's better to put it in the refrigerator.

Classic version of gyoza sauce

Not all gyoza recipes indicate what sauce they can be eaten with. Japanese chefs often recommend combining this dish with an original, but very simple sauce, which is made from sesame oil.

To prepare it, mix in one bowl a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce, a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, 0.5 tsp. oils, as well as 1 tsp. granulated sugar. All of the above ingredients should be mixed thoroughly and tasted. If the resulting mixture tastes somewhat strong, then it needs to be diluted with a small amount of water. If desired, this composition can be diversified with a small amount of spices, for example, chili, curry or ground black pepper.

With shrimps

Shrimp gyojo is also one of the most common types of Japanese dumplings. They are crispy and juicy and very easy to make at home.

What ingredients will you need?

350 g peeled shrimp, cut into small pieces;
0.5 tsp. grated ginger (optional);
0.5 tbsp. chopped cabbage;
1 tbsp. l. chopped green onions;
1 tsp. Japanese sake;
1 tsp. Mirina;
1 tsp. sesame oil;
20 dough pieces;
1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
0.5 tbsp. water;
Ponzu sauce for dipping;
white sesame seeds for decoration;
0.5 tsp. salt.

Step-by-step cooking process

Place the shrimp, ginger, cabbage, scallions, sake, mirin, salt and sesame oil in a large bowl and mix well until a sticky mass forms.
Next, you need to put a piece of dough on your palm and put about 1 tsp. fillings in the middle.
After this, you need to dip your index finger in a small bowl of water and circle it around the edges of the dough.
Then you need to fold the product, forming a crescent, and squeezing the sealed edge with several large folds.
Pour 1 tbsp into a non-stick frying pan. l. oil, heat over medium heat, and then spread all the geldze in one layer, and fry until the bottom of the products is golden brown and crispy.
After this, you need to add water and cover the container with a lid, cook until the liquid has completely evaporated.
It is recommended to serve the prepared shrimp gyoza warm with Ponzu sauce.

Roasting procedure

Their final taste also depends on this stage in the preparation of gyoza. In order for the dumplings to be as similar as possible to the original, for frying them you should use only sesame oil, which can be found on the shelves of large supermarkets. You should use a deep frying pan as a frying pan. You need to heat the oil in it and place the formed dumplings on the bottom, pinched side up. The product should be fried over high heat until it is covered with a beautiful crust, after which the pan should be covered and, reducing the heat, continue the cooking process for another 15 minutes.

Some Japanese recipes recommend other ways to prepare gyoza. An option for this could be boiling them completely, as well as steaming or over an open fire.

Japanese fried dumplings "Gedza"

“Gedza” (gedza, 餃子) are fried dumplings with a variety of fillings, most often minced meat and vegetables (Chinese cabbage). Let's try to cook this popular dish!

Ingredients:

Minced meat – 400 grams
Beijing cabbage – 250 grams
Garlic – 3 cloves
Ginger root - 1 piece (small piece)
Salt - 2 Pinches
Lemon juice - 0.5 tbsp. spoons
Rice vinegar - 1 teaspoon
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp. spoon
Oyster sauce - 1 teaspoon (fish)
Green onions - 1 bunch
Ground black pepper - To taste
Flour - 350-400 grams (dough)
Starch - 3 teaspoons (dough)
Boiling water - 200 Milliliters (dough)
Salt - 3 Pinches (dough)
Sesame oil - To taste (for frying)

Number of servings: 4

How to cook:

You need good minced pork, I made it from a fatty piece of pork.

Wash the onion and cabbage and chop very finely. The hard part of the cabbage leaves needs to be cut off. Squeeze the juice out of the lemon, pass the garlic through a press, and peel the ginger root. Take about 1 cm and chop finely into cubes. Add cabbage, onion, garlic, salt, ground black pepper, diced ginger, lemon juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, and rice vinegar to the minced pork. The Japanese add a little more sake. Mix the gyoza mince well. To prepare the dough, mix 350 g of flour with salt and starch. Then pour in a glass of boiling water and knead the dough with a spoon. As it cools, continue kneading with your hands. Kneading the dough is difficult, it is dense. Add flour as needed. It took me 400 grams for the entire cooking process. Wrap the finished dough in a bag, let it cool and rest. On your work bench, roll out the dough as thin as possible. Use a punch or glass to squeeze out circles. Place 1 tsp on each circle of dough. filling, form dumplings in the shape of a crescent with tucks on one side. Heat a spoonful of sesame oil (I use a mixture of sesame and sunflower oil) and quickly fry the dumplings until nicely crusted. Then pour boiling water into the pan (the water should cover the gyoza by 1/4, no more). Cover with a lid and cook until all the water has evaporated. Serve the finished gyoza hot with green onions and soy sauce. Have fun!

Pork stuffing

Gyoza with pork turns out very tasty. To prepare them, you need to take 400 g of pre-prepared minced pork. In a separate bowl, add finely chopped Chinese cabbage (300 g), a chopped bunch of green onions, 5 g of grated ginger root, as well as 3 garlic cloves, passed through a crush. This set of ingredients should be combined with minced pork, seasoned with juice squeezed from one lemon, as well as a small amount of soy sauce. All contents should be mixed thoroughly and left to marinate for a while in a cool place. If desired, soy sauce can be replaced with traditional sake.

After the minced meat for the gyoza dish is ready, you can stuff it into the juices prepared using the technology described above and fry until done in a deep frying pan.

Gyoza

Gyoza (餃子/ぎょうざ) – dumplings stuffed with finely chopped cabbage, garlic, leeks and minced meat. They come from China and were called Jiaozi. The Japanese liked this dish so much that they began to prepare it themselves using various ingredients.

In Japan, gyoza is eaten primarily fried, while in most cultures dumplings are more often eaten boiled or in soup. For boiled gyoza in Japan, a stiffer dough is used to prevent the juice and fat from leaking out and dissolving in the broth during cooking.

There are many varieties of gyoza: yaki-gyoza (fried in a little oil), age-gyoza (deep-fried), sui-gyoza (boiled), mushi-gyoza (steamed) and ebi-gyoza (filled with minced shrimp and rice). ).

The minced meat of almost all gyoza includes vegetables and onions, and sometimes garlic. Gyoza is on the menu of almost all Japanese restaurants and eateries. In Japan, you can buy gyoza either ready-made or frozen.

How to cook gyoza at home. For the filling: Minced pork – 400 g Soy sauce – to taste Green onions – 1 bunch Salt – to taste Lemon – to taste Ginger root – 5 g Garlic – 3 cloves Chinese cabbage – 300 g For the dough: Flour – 2 cups Water – 100 ml Starch – 2 tsp. Salt – 2 pinches Olive oil – for frying.

Let's start preparing gyoza with the filling. To do this you will need minced pork, Chinese cabbage, soy sauce, onions, lemon, ginger root, garlic and salt. If you wish, you can include a mixture of peppers in this list. So, the filling. Peking cabbage is disassembled into sheets, cut lengthwise, and then shredded into strips. Onions need to be chopped into rings. Ginger root and garlic are peeled and passed through a fine grater. In a bowl, combine cabbage with minced pork and add onions. Add chopped ginger and garlic, lemon juice (three squeezes) and soy sauce. Mix the minced meat thoroughly and let it marinate. Real Asian gyoza may contain sake or fish sauce in the filling.

We will prepare the dough for Japanese dumplings from flour with starch and hot water. You will also need very little salt. Combine flour, starch and salt in a bowl. Then boiled hot water is gradually introduced and the dough is immediately kneaded. First with a whisk, and then with your hands. The dough for Japanese dumplings must be kneaded for at least 5 minutes on the work surface of the table. Next, hide the bun under cling film and cool.

The finished dough is cut into pieces, and then balls are rolled out of each piece. Dough with starch has a stickier base than regular dumpling dough. Divide the dough into pieces, then roll the balls into a thin cake and cut out with a round mold. A teaspoon of filling is placed in the middle of each flatbread. Place minced meat on the dough. After that, dumplings are made in the shape of a crescent with tucks - gyoza. The preparations are fried in a frying pan in olive or sesame oil until golden brown. During the frying process, add boiling water to the pan, close the lid and continue cooking until all the moisture has boiled away. Ruddy and crispy Japanese dumplings are removed by hand by the tops, transferred to a bamboo dish and quickly topped with soy sauce.

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With seafood

Seafood can be an excellent filling for this type of dumpling. As an option, you can prepare gyoza with shrimp - this filling goes very well with the classic dough intended for traditional Japanese flour products.

In order to make the correct filling, you should take about 500 g of boiled peeled shrimp. They should be chopped using a blender or a sharp knife, then mixed with 50 g of chopped onions, a couple of cloves of garlic, and 120 g of shredded Chinese cabbage. After the ingredients are combined, add a teaspoon of sugar and 1 tbsp. l. sake. In order for the taste of the finished products to be more piquant, you need to add half a teaspoon of sesame oil, the same amount of oyster sauce, and 0.5 tsp to the minced meat. grated ginger root. In this composition, the ingredients should be mixed very well and left for 30 minutes in a cool place so that they marinate - not all gyoza recipes recommend doing this, however, observing this step is the key to the juiciness of the minced meat.

While the minced meat is marinating, you can start preparing the dough, the preparation steps of which are described above.

Classic gyoza with meat and mushrooms

Gedze, the recipe with photos of which is the most widespread, usually has a filling in the form of minced meat mixed with cabbage and/or mushrooms. Thus, they turn out very tasty and satisfying.

What ingredients will you need?

For the test:

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour;
0.5 tsp. kosher or sea salt;
0.5 tbsp. water;
potato or corn starch for sprinkling.

For preparation:

1 tbsp. l. oils of neutral taste (sunflower, rapeseed, etc.);
0.25 tbsp. water;
1 tsp. sesame oil.

For filling:

340 g of any minced meat (pork, chicken, duck, etc.);
140 g fresh cabbage;
2 bunches of green onions;
2 shiitake mushrooms;
1 clove of garlic, minced;
1 piece of ginger 2.5 cm long, grated.

Seasonings:

1 tsp. sake;
1 tsp. sesame oil;
1 tsp. soy sauce;
0.5 tsp. kosher or sea salt;
freshly ground black pepper.

Dipping sauce:

1 tbsp. l. rice vinegar;
1 tbsp. l. soy sauce;
0.5 tsp. la-yu (Japanese chili oil), optional.

Step-by-step cooking process

Gedze, the recipe with photos of which involves cooking from scratch, should begin with making the dough. To do this, you need to accurately measure the flour. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, stir the flour in a bowl with a spoon, pour it into a glass and smooth it on top. Its quantity will be approximately 120 g in one glass.

Next, the dough preparation process looks like this:

You need to sift the flour into a large bowl.
Next, add salt to boiling water and stir until completely dissolved.
After this, you need to add just boiled water to the flour, stirring with a rubber spatula.
You will then need to use your hands to form the dough into a ball. If the flour still separates into layers, you need to gradually add 0.5 tbsp. l. water until the mixture becomes elastic.
The finished dough must be transferred to a work surface and kneaded for 10 minutes, then cut in half.
Next, you need to form each half into a long sausage about 4 cm in diameter and wrap them separately in cling film and leave for 30 minutes.
After this time, unroll the dough, sprinkle a little starch on the work surface and cut each sausage crosswise into about 12 pieces.
To prevent drying out, cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel.
Each piece needs to be rolled into a ball shape, then placed one by one on the work surface and rolled out using a rolling pin, without aligning the top and bottom edges. This trick is needed in order to give the products a nice round shape.
Next, you need to turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat rolling to get a nice round shape, then sprinkle each piece with starch.
Once all the dough has been used, wrap each circle in cling film and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Next you need to start preparing the filling:

Since white cabbage leaves are thick and hard, it is advisable to soften them first. To do this, you need to blanch them or reheat them for a minute or two in the microwave. You can also sprinkle salt on them to release and squeeze out the water. After this, you need to cut out the thick stems from all the cabbage leaves and cut the leaves themselves into very small pieces.
Then finely chop the green onions and shiitake mushrooms.
After this, you need to mix the chopped meat, cabbage, green onions and shiitake mushrooms in a large container, add the minced garlic and grated ginger.
Next, you need to add seasonings to the mixture and mix everything very well until the mass becomes pale, homogeneous and sticky.

Gedze, the recipe (with photo) of which is classic, is then performed as follows:

You need to take a circle of dough and place it on the palm of your non-dominant hand. Using a teaspoon, you need to take a small amount of filling and place it in the center of the workpiece.
Then you need to dip one finger in a bowl of water and circle it around the edge of the product to moisten the edge of the dough.
After this, you should fold the dough in half over the filling and pinch it in the center with your fingers (but do not seal it yet). Using your thumb and forefinger, you need to start gluing the product together, making folds from the center to the right and pinching them. The same must be repeated on the left side.
Next, heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over low heat and place the gyoza in a single layer, flat side down (in 2 rows or in a circle).
Fry until bottoms are golden brown, about 3 minutes.
Then you should pour in 0.25 tbsp. water into the pan, immediately cover with a lid and steam the products for 3 minutes, or until most of the water has evaporated.
Next, you need to remove the lid to evaporate the remaining liquid, add 1 tsp. sesame oil and cook the gyoza until golden brown and crispy on the bottom.
The finished products should be transferred to a plate and served with the sauce, mixing all the ingredients necessary for it.

Mushroom filling

This version of the filling is not traditional Japanese, but it appeals to representatives of the Russian population. In order for it to combine as much as possible with the classic gyoza dough, you should take 150 g of champignons, peel them, wash them thoroughly and chop them. After this, you should add half a head of Chinese cabbage, which also needs to be cut into small and thin strips. These ingredients should include a diced onion, carrots, grated into strips, as well as a couple of centimeters of ginger root, which must first be chopped on a coarse grater. To ensure that the filling does not fall apart, but is a solid mass, you need to add a teaspoon of starch, the same amount of soy sauce and half of sesame oil. In order for such a filling to have a bright taste, it can be seasoned with white pepper, which will reveal the qualities of mushrooms on the positive side.

Ingredients:

Minced meat – 400 grams
Beijing cabbage – 250 grams
Garlic – 3 cloves
Ginger root - 1 piece (small piece)
Salt - 2 Pinches
Lemon juice - 0.5 tbsp. spoons
Rice vinegar - 1 teaspoon
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp. spoon
Oyster sauce - 1 teaspoon (fish)
Green onions - 1 bunch
Ground black pepper - To taste
Flour - 350-400 grams (dough)
Starch - 3 teaspoons (dough)
Boiling water - 200 Milliliters (dough)
Salt - 3 Pinches (dough)
Sesame oil - To taste (for frying)

Number of servings: 4

Other filling options

Vegetables and fruits can be used as filling for gyoza dumplings. In this case, you should carefully calibrate the amount of additional ingredients. If you are preparing such a dish with vegetables, you should pay special attention to the spices that can be added to them, and if fruit is chosen as a filler, then you need to focus on sweeteners in the form of powdered sugar or granulated sugar.

Many gourmets prefer the second filling option, recommending to diversify it with caramelized fruits, the preparation of which should be done in advance. There is no need to grind them to a puree state - the fruits can simply be chopped with a knife. As an addition, some chefs suggest using cottage cheese, which will go well with the cooked taste of the dough and juicy fruits. Japanese fruit dumplings can be deep-fried - this way they will have a brighter taste and juicier filling. In this form, they can be a wonderful dessert if served with ice cream.

Classic gyojo filling

While the dough is rising, you can prepare the filling. Classic Japanese dumplings are made from minced pork and Chinese cabbage. So, for the filling we need:

Minced pork – 250 g.
Beijing cabbage – 3-4 leaves.
Green onions - a bunch.
Onions – 1 pc.
Garlic – 2 cloves.
Chopped ginger - half a teaspoon.
Sesame oil - tbsp. l.
Soy sauce – 0.5 tbsp. l.
Starch (potato or corn) - 1 tbsp. l.
Drinking water – 1 tbsp. l.
Spices (salt, pepper, sugar) - to taste.

Preparation:

Finely chop Chinese cabbage and onion (both types).
Mix vegetables with minced meat, add sugar, salt and starch.
Chop the garlic and add to the main mass. Add grated ginger there too.
To prevent Japanese dumplings from being dry, add water, soy sauce and sesame oil to the filling.
The filling should marinate a little, so leave it alone for half an hour.
After the required amount of time has passed, you can begin the creative process, namely sculpting. If you have never made regular dumplings, then, of course, you may have some difficulties. Therefore, just below the text you will find information on how to sculpt gyoza correctly.
Japanese dumplings are usually not boiled, as we are used to doing with any dumplings, but fried. Pour sesame oil into a frying pan, add gyoza, add some water and cover with a lid. The dumplings must first be steamed, and once all the water has boiled away, they need to be fried on one side only.
The finished gyoza is served in a flat plate, with the crispy crust on top. They are eaten with chopsticks, dipped in sauce.
Bon appetit!

In addition to minced pork, it is permissible to use other fillings. For example, you can cook Japanese dumplings with shrimp. This option is considered more festive. Gyoza is also prepared with vegetables such as pumpkin, as well as chicken, salmon and beef.