Japanese gyoza transcends borders, uniting chopsticks around the world. Gyoza was introduced to Japan from China, but underwent a delightful transformation. The dough became thinner. The taste was enriched with Japanese spices and sauces. Even the cooking method changed: gyoza is pan-fried on one side, then steamed to ensure a crispy bottom and tender top.

Ingredients for 5-8 servings:

For the filling:

• 300 gr ground pork, chicken or beef
• 150 gr Chinese cabbage (napa), chopped
• 100 gr shrimps, peeled, divined and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (if you don’t have it, you can replace dark with light soy sauce)
• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sake (or shaoxing wine)
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 3-4 scallions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
• 1-2 cloves finely diced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white or black pepper

For the wrappers:

• 270 gr flour
• 30 gr corn or potato starch
• 180 gr boiling water
• 1 teaspoon salt, dissolved in hot water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

 Preparation instructions:

1. Make the filling:
   • Chop and fry the napa cabbage until all moisture has evaporated.
   • Combine ground pork (or other meat), fried napa cabbage, and chopped shrimps (500 grams in total).
   • Add soy sauce, sake, sesame oil, scallions, garlic, ginger, sugar, corn starch, baking soda, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl.
   • Mix everything thoroughly until well combined. Set aside.
2. Make gyoza wrappers:
   • Weigh the flour on a kitchen scale. We need exactly 270 grams.
   • In a large bowl, mix the flour and corn starch.
   • Boil water and add salt to it, stirring until salt is completely dissolved.
   • Gradually add hot water to the flour, stirring with a rubber spatula or chopsticks.
   • Once the dough comes together, knead it until smooth.
   • Cover the dough with a damp cloth or plastic wrap, and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
   • Now the dough is ready to be rolled out in a pasta machine or by hand. Sprinkle the dough with corn starch before rolling to prevent stacking the wrappers.
3. Wrap dumplings:
   • Roll out the dough into a thin sheet in a pasta machine or by hand, sprinkle some corn starch on a surface.
   • Cut out circles in the dough, using a round cutter or a cup.
   • Place a spoonful of the filling in the centre of each wrapper.
   • Fold the wrapper in half, creating a half-moon shape.
   • Pleat the edges to seal a dumpling.
4. Fry and steam the gyoza dumplings:
   • Heat vegetable oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. It’s important to use a neutral oil with a high smoke point for this step, as we don’t want our oil to corrupt the flavour. So, avoid olive oil and coconut oil, use vegetable, canola or avocado oil instead.
   • Arrange dumplings in a frying pan, flat side down. Cook until their bottoms get golden brown.
   • Add water (about 1/4 cup) to the pan, cover with a lid, and steam for 5-6 minutes.
   • Remove the lid and let the remaining water evaporate.
5. Serve your delightful gyoza dumplings alongside these flavourful Japanese dipping sauces.

Ingredients for the classic Gyoza Dipping Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Minced garlic
• Minced ginger
• Chili flakes (adjust to your preferred level of spiciness)

Ingredients for the Dipping Sauce with Honey and Peanut Butter:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar (you can replace it with 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar + 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon flavoured oil
• Finely grated garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon peanut butter 
• 1 teaspoon honey