Japanese Gyoza with Spicy Dipping Sauce

I have about 5 other recipes I've been needing to write about on here, but I just can't wait another day before posting this one. Y'all, this is by far the BEST gyoza I have ever tasted.... and I've lived in Japan for 2 years. Crazy, right? Isn't it supposed to be that the local foods are better than what I make in my kitchen for the first time?

Normally, yes, absolutely. But I've been researching gyoza for months now. I've been asking pretty much any Okinawan who speaks English what they think makes the best gyoza. I've ordered nothing but gyoza from restaurants to continue studying it. What a horrible assignment... "eat gyoza!" Like I'm gonna pass that one up.... yeah, right! Bring. It. ON.

If you've never had gyoza, you better fix that, and fast! They're a standard appetizer here in Japan, and each chef, family, and generation has their own version of the recipe. The basics include ground pork, leeks or cabbage, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. The secrets are in the additives, as with any popular and passed down recipe. 

My favorite advice I received about what goes into the gyoza was from one of our Japanese interns, Dr. Ando. Each year the Naval hospital employs 8-10 doctors who are Japanese, in order for them to mainly practice their English and to further their training. Many of them end up with fellowships in the States, so it's a great opportunity for them. They're wonderful to work with and are a wealth of knowledge. Anyway, Dr. Ando is always at the hospital, like most interns, and is super sweet and a ball of energy. 

So here I am talking about gyoza with her at 1 in the morning, and I tell her about my quest to learn the secrets of these scrumptious dumplings. "What recipe were you taught by your mother and grandmother, Dr. Ando?" I asked her. She looks at me with great concern, brow furrowed. She folds her hands in typical, über polite Japanese style, and says, "Please, please. You must use leeks. This is very important. You must use leeks and lots and lots of ginger and garlic." Dr. Ando went on to explain that the rest of the ingredients her family uses were any variety of vegetables that were fresh at the store- mushrooms, carrots, celery, and cabbage. 

Despite this wonderful advice, no one I talked to really had any semblance of ratios and measurements. Thank goodness for the internet, which was a lot of help in figuring out a starting point with how much to toss in. I also included a perfect recipe for a spicy dipping sauce, which is an absolute must, even though these gyoza taste amazing by themselves. 

 

A few important tips about making these before we get into the recipe: 

-Traditional gyoza is made with pork, but I actually prefer it with chicken. It tastes better to me and is not as fatty. You could use turkey or tofu if you want, it's pretty versatile that way!

-Prepare your knives... you'll be mincing the veggies so give yourself enough time based on your skills. You could try to mince them all together in a food processor, but I don't think the celery would do well with all of those strings. 

-The folding aspect is one of the most daunting parts of the recipe. It's not difficult at all, really. Pictures you'll see of gyoza show pleats all across one side, with the other side flat. My left hand is a wet fish compared to the muscle coordination of my right, so I pleated the right side, turned the dumpling and pleated the "other" right side. It's what worked for me. Just get them sealed however you can, they'll still taste great.

-Finding out how much to fill each wrapper might take a bit of patience, especially if you don't have real gyoza wrappers. Can you believe the Japanese grocery stores didn't have gyoza wrappers? I just used egg roll wrappers and traced around a 28 ounce can of tomatoes with my knife to give me 4" ish circles. That's what worked for me. If you find gyoza wrappers at your supermarket, great- use those. I wouldn't use lumpia wrappers- they are wayyyy too thin and won't hold up during cooking.

Now that we have that out of the way, let's get to cooking!

Japanese Gyoza with Spicy Dipping Sauce

Inspired by several family recipes. Ratios and assembly guided by Serious Eats

Gyoza:

2 cups cabbage, shredded or very finely chopped

1 large carrot, shredded

2 stalks celery, minced (yes, minced.)

2 leeks, white and green parts, minced
   *Update: after hearing from readers, I forgot to mention that Japanese leeks can be somewhat smaller than American grown. Plan for about 3/4 to 1 full cup, depending on your taste.

1 pound ground chicken

2 heaping teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon garlic powder (about 3 minced fresh cloves)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon Mirin 

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon togarashi (Japanese chili spice. Substitute red pepper flakes if you can't find it)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

40-50 gyoza wrappers (or egg roll wrappers cut into 4" diameter circles)

small bowl of water

salt and oil, for cooking

Dipping Sauce:

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon togarashi

3/4 teaspoon mirin

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 green onion, green part minced

Assembly:

Place the cabbage in a large bowl and toss with a few large pinches of salt. Allow this to sit for about 15 minutes. While this sits prepare the dipping sauce and store in refrigerator until the gyoza are ready. Squeeze out any excess liquid with paper towels and return to the bowl. Add in the rest of the ingredients except the wrappers. With your clean fingers, mix very well. Wash your hands and prepare the wrappers. Work one by one to prevent wrappers from drying out. For a 4" diameter wrapper, place about 2 teaspoons of filling in the center. Dip your finger into the water and trace around the outer edge of the wrapper circle.  

Folding:

Thinking of the wrapper as a clock, bring 12 and 6 together and pinch lightly together. Hold that center pinch with your left fingers, and use your right hand to pleat the right side of the wrapper. Turn gyoza 180° and repeat the pleat on the current right side. Place on cookie sheet and repeat with the rest of the filling and wrappers, until you run out of one. 

Cooking:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a few tablespoons of canola or olive oil. Once it is shimmering, add a few gyoza to the skillet, setting them on their flat bottoms, with the pleated edges pointed up. Make sure to not add too many or they'll be overcrowded and will be soggy. Pan fry for about 3 minutes, until the bottoms are brown and bubbly. If you like crunch, turn them on one "side" and pan fry for another minute or so to crisp the side. Add about 1/4 cup water to the pan and quickly cover with a tight fitting lid. Turn the heat to low and steam for about 4 minutes. The gyoza are ready to eat when the dumpling is plumped up and shiny from the steaming. Just to be safe, cut one open to make sure the chicken is cooked through. Cook in batches if you're making a lot of the gyoza. 

Serve immediately with dipping sauce. 

The gyoza freeze wonderfully and will keep in your freezer until you eat them all (so, about a week!) The sauce will keep in an airtight container for a few weeks. To cook from frozen, follow same cooking directions as above, just steam for about a minute longer to ensure the chicken is cooked through.