Pan Fried Gyoza

Pork and cabbage stuffed gyoza, pan fried and steamed for a crispy bottom and tender top. Dunk them in the included gyoza sauce or your favorite dipping sauce. Very freezer-friendly!

4.80 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 1 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 1 30

Course Appetizer, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Servings

Calories 200 kcal

Ingredients

~75 premade gyoza wrappers round
vegetable oil for frying gyoza

For filling:

1 lb Napa cabbage finely chopped, about 5 cups per batch
1 teaspoon salt for wilting cabbage
1 lb ground pork I use 80% lean
4 green onions whites and greens chopped fine
2 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
2 tablespoon ginger paste or freshly minced ginger
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar optional

For dipping sauce:

3 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
½ teaspoon toasted sesame seeds optional

Instructions

Prepare the Filling:

Wash and very finely chop the napa cabbage.
Add the finely chopped napa cabbage to a large bowl, and dust with the salt (1 teaspoon per batch). Mix it thoroughly, then set it aside and wait 15-20 minutes as the salt draws the water out of the cabbage.
While you wait for the cabbage to wilt, combine the rest of the filling ingredients in a large bowl.
Once the cabbage has wilted, rinse it thoroughly to remove the salt, then wring out as much water as possible. I squeeze the cabbage with my hands over a fine mesh strainer for this step. Add the cabbage in with the rest of the fillings and mix everything together.

Fold the Gyoza:

Prepare a work station with your filling, gyoza wrappers, and a small bowl of water. I usually prepare my gyoza on a cutting board, and transfer them to a large cookie sheet covered with wax or parchment paper as I go.
Spoon about 1 teaspoon of filling into the center of a wrapper. Dip your finger into the water and wet one side of the wrapper, as shown in blue in the included image, then fold the dumpling.
If you are new to folding dumplings, you can simply fold the dumpling in half and press the edges closed. There are lots of options when it comes to folding, please see this dumpling folding guide if you need more guidance.

To Freeze:

If you want to freeze some gyoza for later, line a cookie sheet or plate with wax or parchment paper and spread the gyoza out so they are not touching. Once the outsides of the dumplings are frozen, you can transfer them to a freezer safe zip bag for long term storage. If you skip the first step and just place them in the freezer bag, the dumplings will stick together into a solid block and be ruined.
Frozen gyoza can be prepared in the same way as fresh gyoza, but add 1 minute to their steaming time.

Fry the Gyoza:

Grab a skillet that has a lid, and set it uncovered over medium heat. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil (or similar) into the pan. Once the oil is very hot, add about 10 gyoza to the pan, seam-side up. Do not overcrowd the pan.
Allow the gyoza to cook until their bottoms are golden and crispy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Move the gyoza around in the pan as they cook, but keep the bottoms down the whole time.
Once the gyoza's bottoms are golden, add ⅓ cup of hot water to the pan and close the lid. Be careful as you add the water, it may splatter with the oil. Allow the gyoza to steam covered for 3 minutes, then remove the lid.
There will be a little bit of water remaining in the pan, let the gyoza continue to cook until the water is mostly gone and the bottoms of the gyoza are crispy again, about 1 to 3 minutes more.
Remove finished gyoza to a plate, and set them crispy side up, so the bottoms remain crispy. Combine the ingredients for the dipping sauce (or use your favorite dipping sauce) and serve immediately. Carefully wipe the skillet clean and repeat this process with another batch if desired, or freeze the extras for later.