Updated November 5, 2024

Japan has a longstanding love affair with food and the art of cuisine. And while food and taste is subjective, and one palate may prefer other flavors over another - with Japanese cuisine, it is widely loved by many people and its easy to see why. The variety is large, there are delicious dishes in all categories, the flavor profile is varied, and there are unique snacks and desserts in addition to all the savory meal dishes available!

In today's post for the Cookbook of Japan series, let's delve into one of Japan's most loved dishes, the perfect companion to ramen or the standout solo dumpling dish, gyoza!

Gyoza can be found throughout Japan, and it can even be said that its one of the staple dishes of Japan that almost everyone knows about. Gyoza is a Japanese style of potstickers that consists of a meat base, traditionally pork, mixed in with garlic chives, finely minced cabbage, and sometimes shitake mushrooms all wrapped into a thin wonton wrapper. Gyoza is usually dipped in a mixture of soy sauce and rice vinegar with some chili oil called ra-yu dribbled in. Often it is either served as a side order to ramen, but in Japan, you can also find people eating it with rice. Depending on the type of gyoza, the sauce it is eaten with may vary.

Gyoza has its origins in a Chinese dish called jiaozi. Although the look is quite similar, as is the filling, somehow there are subtle differences in wrapping style and the look of the dumpling where you can just somehow make out a difference. The Japanese style gyoza usually has a thinner wrapper, the filling and spices are just different enough where it tastes unique, and the preparation method differs. When you eat it, many have distinguished flavors that are uniquely their own with differences that make it known which type of dumpling you're eating. The Japanese have adapted the Chinese style of their delicious dumpling, and made it an entity entirely its own, although it still gives nod to its origins. 

There are usually three types of gyoza that are found and enjoyed in Japan. That is yaki gyoza, age gyoza, and sui gyoza. The traditional method of steaming isn't so often seen in Japan unless dining in a Chinese food establishment. You can order the traditional type of gyoza in most ramen places, as well as many izakayas, in addition to Japanese-Chinese (chuka ryori) restaurants. In Japan, the most common and loved version is yaki gyoza. Yaki gyoza is gyoza that first is fried in a pan with just a little bit of water so that it steams, but then is continued to be fried so that the outer layer becomes crispy. Age gyoza (pronounced ah-geh) is fried gyoza where the entire dumpling is deep-fried in oil. This gives a new texture and flavor profile to the gyoza, with a little bit more of an oily consistency. The last type, sui gyoza, is when the gyoza is boiled and does not use any oil in the cooking method. Sui gyoza is softer and squishier then the other gyoza, resembling the wonton dumplings found in wonton soup. 

Although it is the most common to find the traditional stuffing mix of ground pork and vegetables listed above, there are variations even within Japanese cuisine, where you can find shrimp fillings and just vegetable fillings as well. If you decide to make your own, its fairly simple although time-consuming, and you can choose your own filling. Below is a recipe for a basic traditional gyoza recipe so that you can try it out for yourself and you too can get a little taste of Japan!

Gyoza Recipe  Makes approx. 50 dumplings 1 pack of 50 gyoza wrappers (At most Asian markets) Small bit of water 1/3 head of cabbage, finely minced 1 lb. ground pork 3 shitake mushrooms (rehydrated if dried) 1/2 bunch of garlic chives (Sometimes called nira) 1 clove grated garlic (more if you prefer) 1 tsp. grated ginger  ​2 tsp. salt 1 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp soy sauce *** 1. Finely chop cabbage. Massage cabbage with 1 tsp of salt and let sit for 10 minutes. Squeeze out excess water. 2. Finely chop your shitake and chives, and grate your ginger and garlic. 3. In a bowl, combine your ground pork, cabbage, chives, and mushrooms into a large bowl. Add in the grated ginger and garlic. 4. Once combined, knead (use gloves) in the remainder of your salt, the soy sauce, and sesame oil into the mixture. The mixture should turn a light brown pink with the colors of vegetables peeking through. 5. Prepare your gyoza wrappers. Place your bit of water nearby. 6. Take one wrapper and place about a teaspoon of the mixture into the center of the wrapper. 7. Put a small bit of water around the rim of your wrapper. Be careful not to put too much as it will fall apart during the cooking process. Put too little and it may not stick at all.  8. Slowly bring one side of the gyoza wrapper to the other side taking care not to drop the filling. Pinch and pleat the sides together so it forms a folded over pattern as you pinch close. 9. Repeat until all the filling is used up. * To Cook (Yaki gyoza style) 1. Add oil of your choice to a large frying pan over medium high heat. Non-stick is preferable. 2. Add the gyoza putting the flat side down on the pan. Brown the bottoms of the gyoza. (Approx 3-4 minutes) 3. Add 1/3 cup of water into the pan. Cover with a lid and let steam until most of the water is gone. 4. Continue frying until all the water is gone. If you would like, you can add a bit of sesame oil and re-fry the gyoza so that it is nice and crispy with a nice sesame aroma. 5. Transfer to a plate and serve with a dipping sauce of your choice. Traditionally in Japanese cuisine, it is eaten with soy sauce and vinegar mixture with some ra-yu chili oil added for taste. Enjoy on its own as a meal or as a side dish! You can also freeze your gyoza in a resealable bag or container for up to about a month! *Disclaimer: This is not a professional recipe created by a trained chef. H.I.S. in no way provides any warranty, expressed or implied, towards the content of recipes on this website. It is the reader’s responsibility to determine the value and quality of any recipe or instructions provided, and to determine the nutritional value (if any) and safety of the preparation instructions. The recipes presented are intended for entertainment and/or informational purposes and for use by persons having appropriate technical skill, at their own discretion and risk. H.I.S. claims no responsibility or liability for the outcome of any recipe you attempt.

Other Cookbook of Japan Posts:
Dorayaki
Miso Soup

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