Japanese & Ramen

Pan-Fried Pork Gyoza

Juicy pork-and-cabbage dumplings with a lacy, crisp base and steamed pleated tops — the home version of the izakaya classic.

Prep
40 min
Cook
10 min
Serves
About 30 dumplings
Level
Medium

By Maya Chen

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Pan-Fried Pork Gyoza

Method

  1. 01

    Toss the chopped cabbage with the salt and leave for 10 minutes. Wring it out hard in a clean towel — this step keeps the filling from going watery.

  2. 02

    Combine the pork, drained cabbage, garlic, ginger, spring onion, soy, sake, sesame oil and sugar. Mix in one direction until the filling turns slightly sticky and cohesive.

  3. 03

    Place a heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre of a wrapper. Wet the rim with water, fold into a half-moon, and pleat one side toward the centre, pressing the seam tight.

  4. 04

    Set each finished gyoza seam-up on a floured tray so the flat base stays intact for frying.

  5. 05

    Heat a thin film of oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high. Arrange the gyoza flat-side down in a single layer and fry 2 minutes until the bases are golden.

  6. 06

    Pour in about 60 ml water and immediately cover. Steam 4–5 minutes until the water has evaporated and the wrappers turn translucent.

  7. 07

    Uncover and let the bases re-crisp for a minute. Slide onto a plate, crisp-side up, and serve with the dipping sauce.

Gyoza are the dumpling most home cooks reach for first, and for good reason: the filling is forgiving, the wrappers are sold ready-made, and the cooking method rewards a little practice quickly. The goal is a dumpling that is crisp and golden on the base, tender and translucent on top, and full of a savoury pork filling that stays juicy rather than dense.

The filling, and why the cabbage matters

Texture is everything in the filling. Napa cabbage carries a surprising amount of water, so salting and squeezing it before it ever meets the pork is the difference between a juicy bite and a soggy one. Mixing the pork in a single direction until it becomes slightly sticky builds enough structure to hold the parcel together through frying and steaming.

Fry, steam, fry again

The classic gyoza technique is a three-part move in one pan: a hot fry to set and brown the base, a covered steam to cook the pork and soften the top, and a final uncovered minute to crisp the bottom back up. Keep the dumplings in a single layer with a little space between them so they brown evenly and release cleanly when it is time to plate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my gyoza filling watery and falling apart?+

Almost always the cabbage. Raw napa holds a lot of water, and if it goes into the filling unsalted and unsqueezed it will weep as the dumplings cook, loosening the bind and tearing the wrappers. Salt the chopped cabbage, rest it ten minutes, then wring it dry in a towel before mixing. Mixing the pork in one direction until it turns tacky also helps the filling hold together.

Can gyoza be made ahead and frozen?+

Yes, and freezing them raw works better than refrigerating. Arrange the pleated dumplings in a single layer on a floured tray, freeze until solid, then transfer to a bag. Cook them straight from frozen using the same pan-fry-then-steam method, adding a minute or two to the steaming time. Do not thaw first, as the wrappers turn sticky and tear.

What is the lacy crust some gyoza have on the base?+

That crisp web, called hane or wings, comes from adding a thin slurry of water and a little flour or cornstarch instead of plain water to the steaming step. As it cooks off it leaves a delicate sheet of crust connecting the dumplings. It is optional and purely textural, but it gives the home version a polished, restaurant look.

Which wrappers should I use?+

Round gyoza wrappers, sold frozen or chilled at most Asian groceries, are thinner than Chinese dumpling skins and crisp up better. Keep the stack under a damp towel while you work, since they dry out and crack within minutes of exposure to air. If you can only find thicker skins, roll them a touch thinner at the edge before filling.

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