Gyoza Recipe

Prep cabbage

Finely chop the napa cabbage. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and let sit 5 minutes to draw out moisture. Squeeze the cabbage in a clean towel or between your hands to remove excess liquid. Reserve the liquid and discard if you prefer drier filling.

Combine filling

In a medium bowl combine the ground pork, squeezed cabbage, green onions, grated ginger, minced garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, shaoxing wine, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper. Mix until uniformly combined and slightly sticky (use chopsticks or your hand). Taste a small bit by pan-frying a teaspoonful and adjust seasoning if needed.

Set up an assembly station with a small bowl of water (for sealing), a wrapper stack, and the filling bowl. Keep a damp towel over unused wrappers to prevent drying.

Place 1 wrapper in your non-dominant hand. Put about 1 teaspoon to 1 1/4 teaspoons (roughly 10–12 grams) of filling in the center. Dip your index finger in the water and moisten the entire edge of the wrapper.

Fold the wrapper in half to create a half-moon, aligning the edges. Press at the center to seal, then create 3–4 small pleats on one side by folding and pressing the wrapper edge toward the sealed center, forming traditional gyoza pleats. Ensure no air pockets remain. Repeat until all filling is used (makes ~36–40 gyoza).

Heat a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 tbs vegetable oil and swirl to coat.

Arrange gyoza flat-side down in the skillet in a single layer without crowding (work in batches if needed). Fry 2–3 minutes until bottoms are golden-brown and crisp.

Carefully pour 1/4 cup water per batch (adjust so water reaches about 1/3 the height of gyoza) into the pan and immediately cover with a tight-fitting lid. Reduce heat to medium and steam 4–6 minutes until water evaporates and wrappers are tender and filling is cooked through (internal temp 165°F/74°C if using pork).

Remove lid and cook 30–60 seconds more to re-crisp the bottoms. Transfer gyoza to a plate.

For steaming only: arrange gyoza in a single layer in a bamboo steamer lined with parchment (holes poked) or cabbage leaves. Steam over simmering water for 8–10 minutes until cooked through.

If using store-bought ponzu, pour into a small serving bowl. For extra flavor, stir in chili oil to taste and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top. Serve alongside hot gyoza.

Serve gyoza immediately while hot and crispy with the ponzu dipping sauce. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days and reheated in a skillet to re-crisp the bottoms.