When my father in law was younger, he served a 2 year mission for our church – in Japan. My awesome mother in law (remember when I posted about her trampoline-turned-greenhouse?) likes to bring a little taste of Japan to the table for him by making Gyozas every now and then.
We love her gyozas! And we love to make them as a family, using every little pair of hands available to help! 🙂
So… want to give them a try? You won’t be sorry!
Here’s what you’ll need:
1.5-2 cups of finely chopped Cabbage
1 lb Ground Pork
1 medium Onion
2 cloves Garlic (you can also use garlic powder)
Wonton Skins (roughly 80-100 of them)
Soya Sauce
White Vinegar
Start by finely chopping your cabbage, garlic & onion (we use a food processor). You can steam it for about 5 minutes to soften it up- but that step isn’t necessary. Then mix them in with the ground pork. Add 2-4 tbsp of Soya Sauce (whatever you like).
Now, call the kids in to help! You can get a good assembly line going for this stage of the process! Lay your skins out on a flat, clean surface.
Put approximately one tsp. of the meat mixture in the center of each skin.
Put one of the kids on wetting duty (they get a little bowl with water in it that they dip their finger in, and then wet two sides of the Won Ton skin with their finger).
Someone else is in charge of pinching the skins closed (so that they’re triangle shaped). Note: you can also use egg roll wraps- you just end up with a longer thing that looks kind of like a spring roll with pinched edges- tastes just as delicious- and actually saves some time, because it’s bigger and you don’t have to make as many 😉
Once you’ve got a plate full of raw gyozas, you can start cooking them while the rest of the assembly line continues.
Start by heating up a pan with oil in it (just enough to cover the bottom of the pan). Do this at about medium heat- if it’s too hot/cool just adjust it).
Fry the gyozas on one side for 1-2 minutes until browned. Flip them.
Then add in about ¾ cup of water (is it just me or does that fraction show up really tiny.. if your eyes are squinting, that’s 3 quarters )
(that’s for about a 23” pan, so you may need a little more or less depending on your pan size).
Cover them (we use a big pot lid) and steam them for 3- 4 minutes. When you’re trying to figure out what time is right, you can cut one of the gyozas open, to make sure it’s cooked through.
Repeat the frying process until they’re all ready, and then you get to taste them!
We serve them with a dipping sauce made of one part white vinegar and one part Soya Sauce.
We love them so much! We keep eating them until we just can’t fit anymore! 🙂
It’s also fun to eat them with chop sticks- we inevitably end up having some kind of chop sticks contest- to see who can lift the heaviest thing with chop sticks 😉
I hope you give these a try & I hope you love them as much as we do! 🙂
Ingredients
- 1.5-2 cups of finely chopped Cabbage
- 1 lb Ground Pork
- 1 medium Onion
- 2 cloves Garlic (you can also use garlic powder)
- Wonton Skins (roughly 80-100 of them)
- Soya Sauce
- White Vinegar
Instructions
- Start by finely chopping your cabbage, garlic & onion (we use a food processor). You can steam it for about 5 minutes to soften it up- but that step isn’t necessary.
- Then mix them in with the ground pork.
- Add 2-4 tbsp of Soya Sauce (whatever you like).
- Lay your skins out on a flat, clean surface.
- Put approximately one tsp. of the meat mixture in the center of each skin.
- Put one of the kids on wetting duty (they get a little bowl with water in it that they dip their finger in, and then wet two sides of the Won Ton skin with their finger).
- Someone else is in charge of pinching the skins closed (so that they’re triangle shaped). Note: you can also use egg roll wraps- you just end up with a longer thing that looks kind of like a spring roll with pinched edges- tastes just as delicious- and actually saves some time, because it’s bigger and you don’t have to make as many 😉
- Once you’ve got a plate full of raw gyozas, you can start cooking them while the rest of the assembly line continues.
- Start by heating up a pan with oil in it (just enough to cover the bottom of the pan). Do this at about medium heat- if it’s too hot/cool just adjust it).
- Fry the gyozas on one side for 1-2 minutes until browned. Flip them.
- Then add in about ¾ cup of water (is it just me or does that fraction show up really tiny.. if your eyes are squinting, that’s 3 quarters )
- (that’s for about a 23” pan, so you may need a little more or less depending on your pan size).
- Cover them (we use a big pot lid) and steam them for 3- 4 minutes. When you’re trying to figure out what time is right, you can cut one of the gyozas open, to make sure it’s cooked through.
- Repeat the frying process until they’re all ready, and then you get to taste them!
- We serve them with a dipping sauce made of one part white vinegar and one part Soya Sauce.
P.S. Come see me at my blog sometime! I’m celebrating a blogging milestone right now, with lots of giveaways! 🙂
Shandra says
My parents met while in the MTC when they were BOTH going on Japanese missions, so we had this a LOT as kids! Still one of my favorite foods, although we try to use turkey or chicken instead of pork now (easier to find and easier on my tummy). My favorite part is the sauce, so I thought I’d give you a little tip to make it even better! If you use Red wine vinegar instead of white vinegar, you end up with an even richer flavor (trust me, I’ve tried both when out of one or the other!), and if you want it really “authentic” (according to my parents), the ethnic food aisle has a Japanese hot sauce that you add just a few drops in the sauce and it’s amazing! Not too hot at all, just adds an extra flavor! Glad to see someone else who enjoys gyoza as well and makes it themselves. I wonder if you’re father-in-law has introduced you to katsudon. That was our other favorite as a kid.
Heather Lynne says
Mmm, Shandra, that sounds good! We will definitely have to try that! Thanks for sharing!! 🙂
No, I don’t think I’ve heard of katsudon..
melinda says
myt family calls them potstickers but they are all the same. now i’m hungry
Missy says
mmmm. These look fabulous! I have some friends with connections to Japan, so we throw a party and everyone brings different Japanese food – it is so fun..and delicious. But nobody has brought these yet – I will have to try them for our next get together! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
gina says
Is soya sauce the same as soy sauce?
Heather Lynne says
Yes it is 🙂
Michelle P. says
This may be a dumb question..and I’m sorry if it is. Do you cook the ground pork prior to mixing it with the cabbage, onion, etc? Or is it raw? I guess I think they would need more cooking that the 2-3 minutes in steaming.
Heather Lynne says
It’s raw when you mix it with the cabbage and onion, and yes, that frying (of one side) and the steaming right after that really does cook it enough. (But do check inside one to make sure you’ve got your time right!)
Gina says
Do you know if these would freeze well? Cooked or uncooked??
Either way, they look and sound YUMMY!!
Heather Lynne says
I’ve never tried freezing them, but I just googled it & the verdict is that you can freeze uncooked gyozas… that got me thinking… we could totally do a Gyoza day & have them ready to go for future dinners…. I like that idea!!
IrisT. says
Freeze gyozas on a cookie sheet & then store in ziplock baggies. After mixing all of the ingredients I pick up the meat mixture & throw back down into the bowl a few times to tenderize the meat. I also add chopped baby bok choy (soak in salt water for 5min. then squeeze all of the moisture out) If you use green onions, just use the top green parts so the gyozas don’t open. They are done when the wrapper is translucent.
Sara says
I am so excited to try this! I LOVE LOVE LOVE potstickers!
Jeanette says
Thanks for the post, but I want to make sure about the pan size…23″?? Is it supposed to be 13″?
Heather Lynne says
Oops! That’s a typo! You’re right- it’s 13!
Tara says
Do you keep adding more
oil and water, or does the water evaporate? I’m picturing watery oil after making all these if you are adding water to each batch.
Heather Lynne says
The oil should be used up from the frying (so you need new oil each time) and the water should evaporate each time (unless you put a bit too much water– but you can just let it cook a bit longer, to use up the water)
Does that make sense? 😉
Holly says
Hey Thanks so much for sharing this recipe… just made them! They are delicious! My first batch came out a little too soggy, so I added less water and steamed them for less time and they are perfect.
Sooo yummy! I love How Does She!