Gyoza for me represents times connected to family, often around Christmas and the new year. We all congregate around a worktop, one of us dealing out gyoza skins and the others stuffing them with the filling my mum makes so effortlessly. We always eat these gyoza with shitake mushrooms and vegetables as part of a feast, alongside rice, pickles, miso and so many other fabulous Japanese side dishes.
I would normally only make or eat gyoza when visiting my family home, but since starting a family of my own I feel like the tradition is mine to pass on. The only frustration is sometimes not being able to find the skins at my local shops. So after a bit of research I found and tailored a Japanese gyoza skin recipe that you could make even in the most west-centric of suburbia. However, if you're not going to make your own gyoza skins, the ones I recommend that you try to get hold of these ones originating from Japan. Failing that, you'll probably be able to source these or something similar in your local Asian supermarket. Now, whatever the occasion, let's start making some tasty vegan gyoza with shitake mushrooms!
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Ingredients
Serves 4 | Prep time 60 minutes | Cooking time 15 minutes
Gyoza skins:
- 1 packet of gyoza skins, or try my gyoza skin recipe if you want to make your own
Gyoza filling:
- 1 cup soya mince (the kind that comes frozen. Try to find a variety where the pieces are small as this will help with stuffing your skins)
- 2 spring onions
- 120g sweetheart or white cabbage (approximately ½ a medium cabbage)
- 80g shitake mushrooms
- 1 medium green chilli
- Thumb size knob of ginger
- 1 ½ tablespoon cornflour
- 1 tablespoon soya sauce
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- A sprinkling or 2 of black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
For frying & steaming your gyoza:
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ cup water
Gyoza dipping sauce:
- A few drops of Layu (sesame chilli oil)
- 1 tablespoon soya sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Instructions
I'll break down the process into three parts: Step 1 is to prepare the gyoza filling. Step 2, wrap the filling using gyoza skins; I'll guide you through the simple method I use and share some useful tips. Finally, step 3 is to steam, fry, and serve your delicious gyoza with a traditional dipping sauce that is both easy to make and absolutely delicious!
Step 1: Prepare the gyoza filling
1. Halve, quarter and core a cabbage, removing any old looking leaves. Slice into strips lengthways.
2. Dice the cabbage strips finely. The smaller the better. Alternatively, do this in a food processor, pulsing until fine.
3. Prepare the mushrooms; brush off any excess dirt with a pastry brush or kitchen towel. Slice thinly one way.
4. Then dice the mushroom strips finely. As with the cabbage, use a food processor if you wish.
5. Now take the spring onions: Peel and remove any old looking skin and cut off the roots, before washing and drying the stalks. Slice lengthways into quarters and dice finely. If you prefer, use a food processor for this also.
6. Next, halve, top and de-seed the chilli. Slice into strips, then dice finely. Leave the seeds in if you prefer more heat. Always test your chilli for spiciness. They vary a lot depending on the variety and season.
7. Your finely diced vegetables are now ready and you can set them aside.
8. Take the ginger and peel it with a teaspoon or peeler. Then grate it using the fine shredding side of a grater.
9. Collect all of the grated flesh and pulp into the palm of your hand.
10. Then squeeze, squeeze, squeeeeeze out all of the ginger juice into a small bowl. Set aside.
11. Transfer all of the prepped veggies and mushrooms into a mixing bowl.
12. Add the frozen soya mince on top of the veg, straight from the packet.
13. Now add the soya sauce, sesame oil, salt, black pepper and cornflour.
14. Mix all the ingredients together until thoroughly combined. Cover and set aside.
Hint: Take time to chop the vegetables and mushrooms carefully, so that they're all of a similar shape and size, or otherwise use a food processor. Finely and evenly chopped elements will create a lovely even texture throughout your gyoza filling, so it really is worth putting in the extra effort if you're chopping by hand.
Step 2: Wrap the filling using gyoza skins
1. Prepare your gyoza wrapping station: Uncover the bowl of filling, giving it a final stir. Place a pile of gyoza skins off to the side. You will also need a teaspoon and a small bowl of water (a ¼ of a cup is plenty). The water is your glue for holding the wrapper together.
2. Now let's start wrapping: Hold a single wrapper in the palm of your (non-dominant) hand. Add a teaspoon of gyoza filling into the centre. Make sure it truly sits in the middle of the skin, without touching any of the edges, as we need a clean fold.
3. With your other hand, dip your middle finger into the bowl of water. Lightly wet the edge of the gyoza skin that is furthest away from you. Only wet one half, keeping the other half closest to you dry.
4. Gently fold the gyoza skin in half and with your thumb and forefinger, pinching the mid-point of the skin edges together. This is the first point of contact between the wet and dry sides of the gyoza skin, and will be your anchor-point for the folds coming next.
5. From your anchor-point, working your way out to one side, make a small fold on the dry side of your wrapper, gently rolling the skin over your thumb. Then pinch this pleat onto the wet side, sticking it down.
6. Repeat the previous step until you reach the edge. Then do the same down the other side to complete the wrapper. Make sure to stick each pleat down securely to avoid any spillage of the filling. Set aside on a plate.
7. Continue wrapping until you run out of either the gyoza skins or the shitake mushroom and vegetable filling. You want to end up with about 4 to 5 gyoza dumplings per person.
Hint: Holes are ok! Tiny tears and holes will happen during the stuffing process and these are absolutely fine. With fresh skins you can pinch these together to repair but also, remarkably, the holes will often repair themselves in the cooking phase when we add water to the frying pan, steaming the holes shut.
Making Gyoza look like the real deal can be a little intimidating, especially the pleating and folding steps. I know from experience that some beginners struggle to ‘get it right’ and make aesthetically displeasing dumplings. Do not fret, it will come with time and practice. However, if in the moment you’ve lost your patience and you just want to get frying, go ahead and forget the pleating. I give you permission to fold the two halves together and pinch along the edge to close! Without the shape of a Gyoza, and looking more like a mini Empanada, they will still fry and steam just as well and taste just as good. Just please don’t tell my Japanese mother I told you so!
Step 3: Steam, fry and serve your delicious gyoza!
1. Add sesame oil to a large, non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add your dumplings one at a time so that they’re standing up on their bottoms (pleated edge up). Fry for 2-3 mins until golden brown.
2. You can skip this step, but I like to fry the chest of the gyoza for extra crispy texture. Turn the gyoza on to it’s chest (the non pleated flatter side) and sizzle for about 2-3 mins, until golden.
3. Ramp the heat up to high and add a ½ cup of water to the pan. Immediately place the lid over the pan and allow the gyoza to steam until all the water has evaporated. This will takes roughly 3-4 minutes.
4. Once all of the water has evaporated, shake the pan to ensure each gyoza is unstuck. Then turn your dumplings out onto a dish or plate.
5. Now make the dipping sauce by adding the soy sauce and vinegar to a bowl, followed by a few drops of Layu. Stir and place to the side of your serving plate.
6. Portion out the cooked gyoza on to small plates, allowing 4-5, or more, per person. Or simply share from a large dish or plate.
Hint: If you don't have Layu you can use a little sesame oil and chilli oil instead.
Substitutions
For those who would rather not have too much soy in their diets, there are some fantastic alternatives to soya mince and soya sauce out there.
- Soya mince - Some supermarket favorites are pea protein minces and Quorn. You can also avoid the mince element and simply combine your favorite mushrooms; oyster, chestnut and lion's mane, diced finely to create a meaty texture.
- Soya sauce - Similarly, there are also some good soya sauce alternatives. For people in the UK try Biona Organic Original Coconut Aminos. For my US counterparts there’s Coconut Secret. Both are derived from coconut aminos. The Biona, which I’ve tried and tested, is quite mild in flavour and has a distinct sweetness so you may feel (as I did) the need to add a touch of salt to compensate.
Variations
Whether it's to add a twist or simply to use what's in our fridge or pantry, here are a few ways we change up the ingredients in this gyoza recipe:
- Meat alternatives - You can play around and experiment with various minces for your stuffing. There are some great ones out there for vegans. Beyond Meat, Linda McCartney and the Impossible brands work well here. I say this because their mince is small enough that it cooks well within the cooking time, plus it’s pliable and so works well for stuffing.
- Change up the veggies and mushroom varieties - You can experiment with different veggies. In the past we’ve used Chinese leaf, carrots, spinach, peas, onions, shallots and parsley in our stuffing. All funghi are welcome too. Shitake is a go to, but Oyster, Chestnut and Enoki mushrooms work extremely well. Just remember to dice everything finely and season to taste.
- Alternative dipping sauces - The classic soy-vinegar mix is a safe choice, but there are great variations to explore. Sweet chilli sauce, sriracha, and sriracha mayonnaise all pair well with the savory taste of gyoza. While not authentically Japanese, they provide a different level of joy. S&B’s La-Yu is the king of chili oil alternatives for that instant Japanese kick, while Momoya Taberu’s La-Yu with crispy garlic and chilli flakes is full of umami and has become a new favorite of mine.
Storage
You can freeze the uncooked gyoza dumplings and save them for a rainy day. Follow these steps:
- Line a tray with some parchment paper and dust with cornstarch.
- Line up your dumplings (bottom down, pleats facing up), single layer, leaving a small gap between each one. If they touch, they will stick/freeze together.
- Place this in your freezer for 12 hours (or more)
- Once the dumplings are fully frozen, you put them into a freezer bag. Once frozen they won't stick together and by placing them in a freezer bag you’ve saved yourself valuable real estate.
You can keep gyoza in the freezer for up to 4 months. When you're ready to consume, cook directly from frozen by simply going through the steam/fry steps for the perfect gyoza.
Top tip
When cooking gyoza from frozen, I would recommend adding a touch more water for the steaming process to make sure your dumplings have cooked through thoroughly.
FAQ
The gyoza dough we use to make gyoza 'skins' or 'wrappers' is made from flour, salt and water. If you buy packets of skins check that you are comfortable with the ingredients. Some gyoza skins contain palm oil, vegetable oils, corn starch, E numbers or other additives depending on the brand. Note that these are in very small quantities but personally we do steer clear from palm oil.
Gyoza does not typically contain any dairy ingredients, but they do traditionally contain meat in the filling. This recipe is vegan and uses vegan mince and mushrooms as a meat replacement.
Dumplings and gyoza are often used interchangeably, but there are slight differences between the two. While dumplings are a broad category of filled dough, gyoza specifically refers to a style of Japanese dumplings. Gyoza typically have a thinner wrapper and are pan-fried to achieve a crispy texture. However, it's important to note that regional variations exist, and the distinction may vary depending on the context.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Gyoza with Shitake Mushrooms and Vegetables
Ingredients
Gyoza skins:
- 1 packet of gyoza skins or try my gyoza skin recipe if you want to make your own
Gyoza filling:
- 1 cup soya mince the kind that comes frozen. Try to find a variety where the pieces are small as this will help with stuffing your skins
- 2 spring onions
- 120 g sweetheart or white cabbage approximately ½ a medium cabbage
- 80 g shitake mushrooms
- 1 medium green chilli
- Thumb size knob of ginger
- 1 ½ tablespoon cornflour
- 1 tablespoon soya sauce
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- A sprinkling or 2 of black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- For frying & steaming your gyoza:
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ cup water
Gyoza dipping sauce:
- A few drops of Layu sesame chilli oil
- 1 tablespoon soya sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the gyoza filling
- Halve, quarter and core a cabbage, removing any old looking leaves. Slice into strips lengthways.
- Dice the cabbage strips finely. The smaller the better. Alternatively, do this in a food processor, pulsing until fine.
- Prepare the mushrooms; brush off any excess dirt with a pastry brush or kitchen towel. Slice thinly one way.
- Then dice the mushroom strips finely. As with the cabbage, use a food processor if you wish.
- Now take the spring onions: Peel and remove any old looking skin and cut off the roots, before washing and drying the stalks. Slice lengthways into quarters and dice finely. If you prefer, use a food processor for this also.
- Next, halve, top and de-seed the chilli. Slice into strips, then dice finely. Leave the seeds in if you prefer more heat. Always test your chilli for spiciness. They vary a lot depending on the variety and season.
- Your finely diced vegetables are now ready and you can set them aside.
- Take the ginger and peel it with a teaspoon or peeler. Then grate it using the fine shredding side of a grater.
- Collect all of the grated flesh and pulp into the palm of your hand.
- Then squeeze, squeeze, squeeeeeze out all of the ginger juice into a small bowl. Set aside.
- Transfer all of the prepped veggies and mushrooms into a mixing bowl.
- Add the frozen soya mince on top of the veg, straight from the packet.
- Now add the soya sauce, sesame oil, salt, black pepper and cornflour.
- Mix all the ingredients together until thoroughly combined. Cover and set aside.
Step 2: Wrap the filling using gyoza skins
- Prepare your gyoza wrapping station: Uncover the bowl of filling, giving it a final stir. Place a pile of gyoza skins off to the side. You will also need a teaspoon and a small bowl of water (a ¼ of a cup is plenty). The water is your glue for holding the wrapper together.
- Now let's start wrapping: Hold a single wrapper in the palm of your (non-dominant) hand. Add a teaspoon of gyoza filling into the centre. Make sure it truly sits in the middle of the skin, without touching any of the edges, as we need a clean fold.
- With your other hand, dip your middle finger into the bowl of water. Lightly wet the edge of the gyoza skin that is furthest away from you. Only wet one half, keeping the other half closest to you dry.
- Gently fold the gyoza skin in half and with your thumb and forefinger, pinching the mid-point of the skin edges together. This is the first point of contact between the wet and dry sides of the gyoza skin, and will be your anchor-point for the folds coming next.
- From your anchor-point, working your way out to one side, make a small fold on the dry side of your wrapper, gently rolling the skin over your thumb. Then pinch this pleat onto the wet side, sticking it down.
- Repeat the previous step until you reach the edge. Then do the same down the other side to complete the wrapper. Make sure to stick each pleat down securely to avoid any spillage of the filling. Set aside on a plate.
- Continue wrapping until you run out of either the gyoza skins or the shitake mushroom and vegetable filling. You want to end up with about 4 to 5 gyoza dumplings per person.
Step 3: Steam, fry and serve your delicious gyoza!
- Add sesame oil to a large, non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add your dumplings one at a time so that they’re standing up on their bottoms (pleated edge up). Fry for 2-3 mins until golden brown.
- You can skip this step, but I like to fry the chest of the gyoza for extra crispy texture. Turn the gyoza on to it’s chest (the non pleated flatter side) and sizzle for about 2-3 mins, until golden.
- Ramp the heat up to high and add a ½ cup of water to the pan. Immediately place the lid over the pan and allow the gyoza to steam until all the water has evaporated. This will takes roughly 3-4 minutes.
- Once all of the water has evaporated, shake the pan to ensure each gyoza is unstuck. Then turn your dumplings out onto a dish or plate.
- Now make the dipping sauce by adding the soy sauce and vinegar to a bowl, followed by a few drops of Layu. Stir and place to the side of your serving plate.
- Portion out the cooked gyoza on to small plates, allowing 4-5, or more, per person. Or simply share from a large dish or plate.
Food safety
When placing the Gyoza into the hot oil to fry, please be super careful. I always do this step by hand as it allows me to gently and accurately place the dumplings into the hot pan. If you feel unpracticed working with hot oil, please use a set of silicone tongs to gently pick up and place the dumplings in. You can also place the gyoza onto a dessert spoon or spatula to place into the hot pan to avoid any fingertips being sizzled!
Adding water to a hot oily pan causes things to spit and sputter so we need to take extra care here. Once you’ve added your water, lid the pan immediately to shield yourself! It’s especially important to keep to the oil quantity listed in the ingredients as frying with too much oil will create a lot of sputter and, if you're cooking on gas, we don’t necessarily want to flambé our Gyoza and singe our eyebrows.
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