How to Make Gyozas from Scratch

(Prep - 1 hr, Cooking Time - 10 mins)

Makes 24 gyozas

Gyozas, also known as pot-stickers, are a delicious type of Chinese dumpling that I could quite literally eat by the bucket-load.

I like to make this big batch of 24 then freeze some to eat at a later date. They can be cooked straight from the freezer and they make a great side dish to stir fry or ramen.

They do take a little bit of time to prepare, but trust me - it's worth it!

Let's start with the gyoza skins.

You will need:

• 250g - Plain Flour

• 150ml - Water (just boiled)

• 1/2 tbsp - Salt

• Corn/sauce flour for dusting (optional)

Equipment:

• A mixing bowl

• A sieve

• Clingfilm/sandwich bags

• Spatula/chopsticks

Step 1: Make the dough

Start by adding the salt to the freshly boiled water and stir until the salt has completely dissolved.

Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl, grab your chopsticks or spatula and slowly pour the warm salty water into the flour a little bit at a time, mixing as you go.

Tip: I find using chopsticks to combine the dough much easier than using a spatula because it's easier to scrape the sticky dough off at the end!

Once the dough starts to come together, use your clean hands to form it into a ball.

If you find that the dough isn't quite coming together, add boiling water a tablespoon at a time until it does.

Once the dough is completely combined, lightly dust your work surface with a little bit of cornflour (or plain flour) and prepare to knead!

Knead the dough for 10 minutes. It sounds like a long time, but if you put some music on it will fly by.

As you knead, you'll notice that the dough becomes more elastic and much smoother than when you started.

Split your dough in half and roll it into two, similar length sausages. I aim for roughly 15cm long.

Pop them into two sandwich bags (or wrap them in clingfilm) and leave them to rest for approximately 30 minutes.

After all that kneading, your dough needs time to relax before you go any further.

Meanwhile, we can move onto the filling for the gyozas.

You will need:

• 200g Minced meat (beef, pork, chicken or prawn) - alternatively finely chopped vegetables

• 2 tbsp Soy sauce

• 2 Spring onions

• 1tbsp garlic paste/finely chopped garlic

• 1tbsp cornflour

• 1tsp gochujang (optional)

You can customise the filling of your gyozas to include any kind of meat, vegetables or seasoning that you like.

Other variations I have made include pork, mushroom and coriander; chicken satay and spring onion and spicy vegetable - all of which were delicious!

Whatever you decide to use, make sure that you chop it very finely. You can see the ingredients I used for this batch on the left.

Step 2: Make the filling

Combine your minced meat, finely chopped vegetables and seasonings in a small mixing bowl.

Pour over the soy sauce and cornflour and mix vigorously using chopsticks or a fork until the filling becomes a smooth, sticky paste.

The cornflour will help bind the filling and will also keep it tender and juicy when cooked.

Set this aside until your gyoza dough is rested and ready.

Step 3: Making the gyozas

Grab your first sausage of dough and on a lightly floured surface, cut into 12 equal pieces. It should look something like this...

Roll each piece into a little ball and move on to the second sausage of dough. You should end up with 24 little spheres of dough ready to be turned into gyoza wrappers.

Next, take a clean glass or rolling pin (I find a glass easier to work with), and roll each sphere out into a thin circle. Turn the dough as you're rolling it out to achieve an even thickness.

As you can see, they won't all be completely circular & that's okay! They'll still taste delicious.

Lay them out on a chopping board or sprinkle a little flour between them and pile them up as you go.

Grab yourself a small dish of water (to use as glue) and let's start filling!

To make the first gyoza, take as skin, and place a small amount of mixture in the centre. You want to leave enough space around the outside to fold and pleat your dumpling, so try not to add too much.

Next, dip your finger in the water and run it around the top portion of the dumpling.

If this is your first time making gyozas and you're not super confident with pleating, you can simply fold, press and stick it down without pleating like this...

However, if you want to achieve the most authentic-looking gyozas, they should be pleated. You've got 24 to practice on so why not give it a go?

To pleat the dumpling:

• Fold the dumpling so it looks like a taco with the filling in the centre.

• Pinch the dumpling wrapper between your thumb and forefinger at the top to create the first pleat, and stick this down.

• Then work down each side of the dumpling, pinching and sticking until the it's completely sealed.

Tip: Try to make sure there's not too much air in the dumpling, this can cause it to burst when it's cooked.

You should end up with 24 adorable little dumplings that look something like this...

Step 4: Cooking the gyozas

After all that hard work, it's time to cook which you'll be pleased to hear only takes a few minutes.

You will need:

• A frying pan or saucepan with a lid

• 3/4 tbsp of oil

• 50/60ml of lukewarm water

Put your pan onto a medium/high heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add your first batch of gyozas. Don't overcrowd the pan!

Leave them alone to crisp up on the bottom for 2/3 minutes, you're aiming for a light golden brown colour.

Once they've browned, it's time to steam them. Take care when adding the water to the pan!

Move the pan off the heat, have the lid ready in one hand and your lukewarm water in the other. Quickly pour the water into the pan and pop the lid on so the oil doesn't spit at you.

Put the pan back on to the heat and leave the gyozas to steam for a further 4/5 minutes or until they look tender and cooked.

Tip: If you notice that the pan boils dry before the gyozas are cooked, add a bit more water otherwise they'll burn!

Remove the lid and allow any remaining water to evaporate off. Then take them out of the pan and serve with hoisin sauce, sweet chilli or soy sauce for dipping. Yum!

Any that you don't eat straight away can be popped on a plate in the freezer until frozen, then transferred into a box or sandwich bag for a delicious treat at a later date. You can cook them from frozen, but leave them to steam for 2/3 minutes longer to ensure they're cooked all the way through.

Enjoy!

L x