Shrimp Gyoza Recipe ( 海老餃子 )

Photo: Sara Harris

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TRADITIONAL JAPANESE RECIPE: Gyoza (餃子, gyōza) are dumplings filled with ground meat and vegetables and wrapped in a thin dough. Also known as pot stickers, gyoza originated in China (where they are called jiaozi), but have become a very popular dish in Japan.

The typical gyoza filling consists of ground pork, nira chives, green onion, cabbage, ginger, garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil, but some creative gyoza shops have also come up with a range of other fillings.


There are 3 main type of Gyozas:

Yaki Gyoza (pan fried)
Yaki gyoza are by far the most common type of gyoza. They are pan fried in a hot skillet before a mixture of water and cornstarch is poured in and everything is covered for a few minutes. The water and cornstarch mixture helps to steam the gyoza, making them soft and juicy while creating a thin crispy bottom on the individual gyoza. Yaki gyoza are typically served with the crispy bottom side up. Hanetsuki gyoza ("gyoza with wings") is the term used when the individual gyoza pieces are all connected by the thin crispy bottom.

Sui Gyoza (boiled)
Sui gyoza are boiled gyoza that are often served in a very light broth. They are much less common than yaki gyoza and mainly found at Chinese restaurants and specialized gyoza restaurants.

Age Gyoza (deep fried)
Age gyoza are crispy, deep fried gyoza mainly found at Chinese and gyoza specialty restaurants, but rarely encountered elsewhere.


In Japan:

The Japanese word gyōza (ギョーザ, ギョウザ) was derived from the reading of 餃子 in the Jilu Mandarin (giǎoze) and is written using the same Chinese characters. The selection of characters indicates that the word is of non-Japanese origin. Following the Second World War, Japanese soldiers who returned from Manchuria brought home gyōza recipes.

The prevalent differences between Japanese-style gyōza and Chinese-style jiaozi are the rich garlic flavor, which is less noticeable in the Chinese version, and that gyōza wrappers appear to be consistently thinner, due to the fact that most Japanese restaurants use machine-made wrappers. In contrast, the rustic cuisine of poor Chinese immigrants shaped westerners' views that Chinese restaurant potstickers use thicker handmade wrappers. As jiaozi vary greatly across regions within China, these differences are not clear. For example, visitors will easily find thin skinned potstickers at restaurants in Shanghai, and from street food vendors in the Hangzhou region. Gyōza are identical to potstickers made in Chinese households using store bought machine made wrappers. Gyōza are usually served with soy-based tare sauce seasoned with rice vinegar and/or chili oil (rāyu in Japanese, làyóu (辣油) in Mandarin Chinese). The most common recipe is a mixture of minced pork, cabbage, Asian chives, and sesame oil, and/or garlic, and/or ginger, which is then wrapped into thinly rolled dough skins. Gyoza share similarities with both pierogis and spring rolls and are cooked in the same fashion as a pierogi, either boiled or fried.

Gyōza can be found in supermarkets and restaurants throughout Japan (Gyōza-skins, Frozen food, Finished product). Pan-fried gyōza are sold as a side dish in many ramen and Chinese restaurants.

The most popular preparation method is the pan-fried style called yaki-gyōza (焼き餃子), in which the dumpling is first fried on one flat side, creating a crispy skin. Then, water is added and the pan sealed with a lid, until the upper part of the dumpling is steamed. Other popular methods include boiled sui-gyōza (水餃子) and deep fried age-gyōza (揚げ餃子).

Store-bought frozen dumplings are often prepared at home by first placing them in a pot of water which is brought to a boil, and then transferring them to a pan with oil to fry the skin.

 

 

 

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Skill Level:	Time: 45 Minutes
Price:	Serves: 30 Pieces

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Ingredients:

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Conversions

 

 

 

Directions:

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01 - Chop 1/3 of Shrimps coarsely with knife. Mince the rest of the Shrimps in a food processor.

02 - Slice the Nira chives finely.

03 - In a large bowl, mix Shrimps, Nira Chives, Soy Sauce, Sake, Sesame Oil and Cornstarch.



04 - Take a Gyoza Wrapper in your hand and place a tablespoon of meat mixture in the center of the wrapper. Moisten the edge along the lower half of the wrapper and fold the upper half of the wrapper up to meet the moistened edge. Fold one of the edges in a series of pleats ( about 6 ), leaving the other edge smooth. Press the edges together to seal the gyoza. Another simpler way to fold is to first press the smooth edges together and then fold both edges into pleats. Repeat for the rest of the wrappers.



05 - Heat a pan at medium high heat and add oil.

06 - Place the Gyozas on a pan and cook until the bottom becomes golden brown.

07 - Once the Gyozas have turned blown, add Water to the pan and immediately cover with a lid and cook until the water has evaporated.



08 - Mix Soy Sauce, Rice Vinegar, and Chili Oil together for dipping sauce.

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Written by: Uncut Recipes

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