Gyoza Steam Recipe

Prepare cabbage

Place the finely chopped cabbage in a bowl, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, toss, and let sit 5 minutes. Squeeze out excess liquid firmly using your hands or a clean kitchen towel and discard liquid. This prevents a soggy filling.

Mix filling

In a mixing bowl combine ground pork, drained cabbage, sliced green onions, minced garlic, grated ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, sake (if using), salt, white pepper, and cornstarch. Mix thoroughly with a spatula or your clean hands until mixture becomes slightly sticky and well combined, about 1–2 minutes. Taste a tiny amount cooked in a pan if desired and adjust seasoning.

Set up workstation

Arrange a small bowl of water, a cutting board or clean surface, and the gyoza wrappers within reach. Keep a damp towel over unused wrappers so they don't dry out.

Fill and fold gyoza

Place one wrapper flat in your palm. Put about 1 teaspoon (roughly 8–10 g) of filling in the center. Dip your finger in water and moisten the wrapper edge. Fold the wrapper in half to form a half-moon, press center edges to seal, then create 2–3 small pleats on one side while pressing firmly to seal completely. Repeat until all filling is used (should make about 24 gyoza). Place finished dumplings on a parchment-lined tray or baking sheet, spaced slightly apart.

Heat pan

Use a large nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet with a lid. Heat 1 tablespoon of neutral oil over medium-high heat until shimmering (about 1–2 minutes).

Pan-fry gyoza

Place 8–10 gyoza flat-side down in the pan in a single layer without crowding, leaving a little space between each. Cook undisturbed until the bottoms are golden brown, 2–3 minutes.

Steam finish (water method)

Carefully pour about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of water into the pan (enough to create steam but not submerge gyoza). Immediately cover with a tight-fitting lid to trap steam. Reduce heat to medium-low and steam until the filling is cooked through and wrappers are translucent, 5–6 minutes. If you prefer a crisper bottom, remove the lid for the last 1 minute to allow some water to evaporate and re-crisp the base.

Alternate batch cooking

Remove cooked gyoza to a serving plate. Add another 1 tablespoon oil to the pan if needed and repeat pan-frying and steaming with remaining gyoza in batches.

While gyoza cook, mix soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili oil, and sesame seeds in a small bowl. Adjust ratios to taste (more vinegar for tang, more chili oil for heat). Serve alongside hot gyoza.

Serve 6 gyoza per person (3 indicated in menu description could denote a snack of 3 — scale serving size below accordingly) arranged on a plate with dipping sauce. Garnish with extra sliced green onions or sesame seeds if desired. Eat hot for best texture.