Easy Pork Gyoza Dumpling Recipe

Pork Gyoza Dumplings Recipe Food Blog UK

My boyfriend loves Chinese takeout - it's his favourite hungover lazy day meal, and he usually orders enough to feed an army. I'd never really eaten much Chinese takeout before he came into my life, but now I am a firm convert. Crispy salt and pepper prawns, shredded chilli beef, duck pancakes smothered in hoisin sauce... Okay stop, this is making me hungry.

We've ordered our way through most of our locals, from barely edible grease-fests to surprisingly decent (that's about as good as it gets, Walthamstow is not known for it's Chinese cuisine...). However the one dish no takeout seems to get right is gyoza. They're always thick, stodgy, overcooked and a bit soggy, yet we still order them every time "just in case". But nope, no luck. So I decided enough was enough and set about learning to make my own. There's been plenty of mistakes along the way, but I finally feel like I've perfected the art of dumplings with this pork gyoza recipe.

Pork Gyoza Dumplings Recipe Food Blog UK
Pork Gyoza Dumplings Recipe Food Blog UK

Gyoza seem like they'd be super hard to make, right? But they're surprisingly straightforward! Okay, the first time I made them I painstakingly rolled the dough by hand and that took ages, but once I discovered pre-made gyoza wrappers from my local Asian supermarket it's been a doddle. Getting the hang of folding them can be a little tricky, but it just takes a bit of practice. Besides, even if they don't look the neatest they still taste pretty great!

Do make sure as you're making them you keep plenty of room between them and put greaseproof paper down so they don't stick. This recipe makes roughly 30 gyoza, which is plenty! If you don't want to make so many and have extra filling, I used the leftover pork mix fried with noodles in a soy dashi broth for a quick weeknight dinner.

Pork Gyoza Dumplings Recipe Food Blog UK
Pork Gyoza Dumplings Recipe Food Blog UK

Pork gyoza only take a couple of minutes to cook, and it's an easy process. It starts with frying the gyoza in batches in a large lidded frying pan - I like mine a bit crispier and dark golden so fry for up to a minute on high heat, however if you prefer a softer wrapper 30 seconds will do the trick. Then you add water to the pan, cover and steam for a further 3 minutes to cook the filling through. I like to flip em first so both sides get a little crispy, but this is just personal preference!

I've also included the recipe for a simple soy vinegar dipping sauce, because they're at their best generously dunked in soy if you ask me.

Pork Gyoza Dumplings Recipe Food Blog UK
Pork Gyoza Dumplings Recipe Food Blog UK
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Pork Gyoza Dumplings Recipe Food Blog UK

Pork Gyoza

A quick and easy recipe for pork gyoza with a simple soy vinegar dressing
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Course Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Chinese

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams pork mince*
  • 3/4 pak choi finely chopped (I usually leave off the hard white end)
  • 1 spring onion finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tsp ginger grated
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • salt and pepper
  • 30-35 gyoza wrappers*
  • vegetable oil
  • 75 ml water

Soy Vinegar Dipping Sauce

  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp thinly sliced ginger

Instructions
 

  • In a mixing bowl mix together the pork mince, pak choi, spring onion, ginger, garlic, soy sauce and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, making sure everything is well combined and the mince is broken up.
  • Line a plate with greaseproof paper to place your gyoza on.
  • Place a heaped teaspoon of the pork mix on one side of a dumpling wrapper, leaving 2mm around the edge (see image). Fold the dumpling wrapper over itself, wetting your fingers to press the edges together. To seal the edges make four small folds along the curved edge, using a small amount of water to hold it together.
  • Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a large lidded frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot add your dumplings. Be careful not to crowd the pan - I usually work in batches of 6-8 at a time. Press down with a spatula as you put them in to ensure an even crispiness on the base. Fry for roughly 45 seconds without moving them until the bottoms are golden brown.
  • Flip the dumplings and pour in 75ml of water. Cover immediately with a lid and cook for a further 3 minutes until the water has evaporated and the dumplings are cooked through.

Soy Vinegar Dipping Sauce

  • To make the sauce simply combine rice vinegar, soy sauce and ginger to a small bowl and mix.

Notes

I use 20% fat pork mince when I make this - I haven't tried it with leaner options so can't comment on a taste difference!
I purchase pre-made gyoza wrappers from my local Oriental supermarket because making them from scratch is time consuming and I'm rubbish with dough, however if you've got the time or can't find pre-made wrappers go for it! If you're going with pre-made, make sure you defrost them first.
Make sure to use greaseproof paper otherwise your dumplings will stick to the plate and tear. I usually keep a small bowl of water next to me as I prep the dumplings to keep wetting the edges as I go. 
I've not included exact measurements for salt and pepper because honestly, who actually measures them? Also I personally feel levels of salt and pepperiness very much depend on personal preference - just keep in mind soy sauce is already quite salty!
Keyword Asian, Dim Sum, Gyoza, Pork, Snack
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