Asian Pork Dumplings (Gyoza) – Scratch Recipe (2024)

Asian dumplings are a staple weeknight meal in our house. While we could spend money going out, it actually takes less time to make them at home.

The hardest part is shaping the dough and sealing the dumplings. With a bit of practice, our 2-year-old daughter has already learned to shape them. If she can do it, you’ve got this!

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Asian pork dumplings made 100% from scratch.

We learned how to make our basic Asian dumplings from the bookAsian Dumplings: Mastering Gyoza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More. Since shaping is the hardest part, this book was a huge help. It has dozens of close-up pictures for every type of folding and shaping imaginable.

Start by mixing the dough. The dough is simple, made with flour, water and a pinch of salt. It’s a very dry, stiff dough that doesn’t want to come together easily. The simplest method is to add the flour and salt into a food processor, and then drizzle the water in while it’s running.

We’ve learned to make the dough in a KitchenAid stand mixer with a dough hook. It’s a compromise, as my infant son is absolutely terrified of the food processor.

You’ve gotta do what you gotta do, but this works just as well in the end. Add the water and it forms a crumbly dough.

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Homemade dumpling wrapper dough starting to come together in a stand mixer with a dough hook.

Once you’ve got a crumbly dough like the picture above, begin adding in water until the dough comes together into a ball.

It’ll be a stiff ball that won’tknead very well with the dough hook. Once it comes together, turn it out onto a board and give it a few quick kneads with your hand to smooth it out.

The dough needs to rest for at least 30 minutes before shaping, so cover it with a moist towel and give it time.

While the dough rests, you can make the dumpling filling.

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Raw ingredients for pork dumpling filling.

The dumpling filling is versatile, and different cultures incorporate differentingredients. Our recipe is simple and includes an egg as a binder, plus sesame oil, soy sauce, and our own homegrown ginger. Some recipes include scallions or minced cabbage, but I don’t tend to have those on hand so they get skipped more often than not.

Use the fattiest ground pork you can find. I know that sounds a bit strange, but if these are too lean they’ll be dry in the end. Trust me on this one. The pork in the picture above looks pretty marbled, but it’ll still be dry without the addition of the sesame oil for richness.

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Dumpling wrapper dough shaped into a ring and cut into individual portions.

Once your filling is mixed and the dumpling wrapper dough has had a proper rest, use your thumbs to shape the dough into a ring. Hold the dough in your hands, and plunge both of your thumbs through the middle. Using your hands, work it out into a ring.

Cut the dough into 1/2 inch slices using a very sharp knife.

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Dumpling wrappers rolled out and prepared for filling.

Roll each dough slice out into a 3 to 4-inch wrapper. I tend to make them a bit on the large side. That means less rolling and shaping, but bigger dumplings.

Don’t make the wrappers bigger than your palm, or they’ll have a hard time cooking though and you won’t be able to shape them easily.

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Pork portioned onto dumpling wrappers and ready for shaping.

Portion the pork filling out onto the rolled-out dumpling wrappers. As a rule of thumb, I use a heaping teaspoon of filling. Be sure to leave ample space around the outside to bring your dumpling together.

It’s better to have an underfilled dumpling than an overfilled one. Overfilled dumplings pop and leak while you’re cooking, making a huge mess.

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Bring the dumpling closed and seal it along the edge with your fingers.

Bring the wrapper together and seal it completely around the edges. This will look a bit like a turnover, just closed all the way around like a hand pie.

You’re not quite done yet. If you stop here, the dumpling will not fully seal and it’ll pop open when you cook it. Not to mention, it’s not pretty yet!

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Folding the dumpling wrapper to seal it in a zig-zag pattern.

Take your sealed hand pie of pork, and fold the edge together in a zig-zag fashion, pinching it together as you go.

Once you’ve made it the whole way along the edge, you’ll have a beautifully sealed dumpling that will stay shut during seaming.

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A finished Asian dumpling ready for steaming or pan-frying.

The picture above is an example of the “pleated dumpling shape” from my Asian Dumplings book. The book also takes you through half-moon shapes, pea pods, fortune cookie shapes, traditional Tibetan purse dumplings and many other fun shapes.

At this point, it’s time to steam your dumplings.

We generally steam them using a vegetable steamer basket in a regular stovetop pot. They can also be made with a bamboo steamer basket. I’ve even seen them made in an instant pot using a mini bamboo steamer basket which I hope to try soon.

Regardless of how you steam them, they tend to stick. The easiest method is to cut small squares of parchment paper and place the dumplings each on their own square. You can also oil your steamer basket with sesame oil, which helps in a pinch if you don’t have parchment.

Recipe adapted fromAsian Dumplings: Mastering Gyoza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More
Yield: 32 small dumplings (approximate)

Dumpling Dough

2 cups flour (10 ounces)
3/4 cup boiling water
pinch salt

Pork Dumpling Filling

1 pound ground pork, the fattier the better
1 egg
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2-4 cloves garlic, pressed
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil

  1. Start by making the dumpling dough. In a food processor, add the flour and salt. Pour the boiling water in with the processor running. Stop the processor when it forms a smooth ball. Alternatively, use a KitchenAid stand mixer with a dough hook. You can also use a wooden spoon to stir the water into the flour, and then carefully knead with your hands, but you’ll have to stir while it’s hot and then wait until it’s cool enough to touch with your hands.
  2. Once the dough has come into a cohesive ball, wait until it’s cool enough to touch and give it a few quick kneads with your hands to smooth it out. Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes. You’re allowing it to rest so that the gluten relaxes and it can be rolled into smooth wrappers. If you don’t wait, it’ll be very stretchy and hard to roll.
  3. While the dough rests, mix all the filling ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
  4. Once the dough has finished resting, hold the dough in your hand and use your thumbs to punch a hole into the center and form a ring. Work the dough with your hands into a large ring, leaving the dough itself quite thin, about an inch in diameter.
  5. Cut the dough into 1/2 inch pieces.
  6. Roll each dough piece out into a 3 to 4-inch disk.
  7. Add a heaping teaspoon of meat filling onto each dumpling wrapper. Pinch to seal along the edge, and then shape as you choose. I pinch the edge in a zigzag pattern, pictures and instructions above.
  8. Place each dumpling on a small square of parchment paper and steam until cooked through. It should take about 8 minutes for smaller dumplings, or 12 to 15 for larger dumplings. If you made 32 dumplings with this recipe, 8 to 10 minutes should be just right. Cut into one on your first batch to check for doneness.
  9. If you choose, pan-fry them quickly in a bit of oil for crispy pan-fried potstickers.

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Related

Asian Pork Dumplings (Gyoza) – Scratch Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to juicy dumplings? ›

Hand-mincing meat and adding more pork belly results in the juiciest dumplings. Traditionally, some Chinese cuisine uses hand minced meat for their dishes. For example, lots of dim sum items like siu mai, pork buns, beef meatball, and more use hand minced meat to control the texture and fat content of the dish!

What is the difference between pork gyoza and dumplings? ›

In Japan, gyoza is almost exclusively pan-fried and steamed, served on its own or with a salty and tangy dipping sauce. Dumplings can be boiled, steamed, or fried; served as is, with a spicy sauce, or in a soup.

What is pork gyoza made of? ›

The simplest recipes have you knead together pork, minced cabbage, and aromatics like garlic, ginger, and nira (Japanese garlic chives; scallions will do just fine). Without know-how, these don't produce particularly good dumplings.

What is the difference between Chinese dumplings and gyoza? ›

While both dumplings can be prepared in various ways, jiaozi usually refers to dumplings that are steamed or boiled – this means they end up with a soft, delicate outer casing. On the other hand, gyoza are more commonly pan-fried, which results in a crispier exterior and juicy, succulent inside.

What is the difference between wonton and gyoza dough? ›

Another difference between jiaozi and wonton doughs is the water-to-flour ratio. Wonton dough has a higher ratio of flour to water. Wonton wrappers are thinner than that of most dumplings. This is partially because the filling is thicker and doesn't need as much dough to hold it in place.

How to make dumplings better? ›

A teaspoon of sugar adds an extremely subtle hint of sweetness. It also helps the dumplings retain their moisture through the cooking process and slows gluten development, which ensures tender dumplings. A pinch of salt seasons the dumplings and enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.

What are the three components of dumplings? ›

What are dumplings made of? The dumpling dough is made of three main ingredients: flour, water and salt. But which flour you use depends on which dumpling you want to make.

What cut of pork is best for dumplings? ›

You's pork dumplings are built on a base of fatty ground pork—for best results, ask a butcher to grind up some pork shoulder for you—mixed with cooking sherry for sweetness, ginger for fresh bite, and just a little soy sauce and salt.

What is the Chinese version of gyoza? ›

Jiaozi (pronounced "jow-zee") are perhaps the most common type of Chinese dumpling. Crescent-shaped and formed with an opaque wrapper made from wheat dough, jiaozi are usually filled with ground pork, cabbage, and scallions, and served with a dipping sauce made of soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil.

What is the Chinese equivalent of gyoza? ›

Gyōza. Gyoza are a Japanese version of jiaozi that were developed from recipes brought back by Japanese soldiers returning from the Japanese-backed puppet state of Manchukuo in northeastern China during World War II.

What are the three types of gyoza? ›

What are the main different types of Gyoza served in Japan?
  • Yaki-Gyoza. The most comon type of Gyoza in Japan is Yaki-Gyoza. ...
  • Age-Gyoza. The Age-Gyoza method of preparing Gyoza results in a very similar result to the Yaki-Gyoza, a crispy dumpling. ...
  • Mushi-gyoza. ...
  • Sui-Gyoza. ...
  • Try our Gyoza Recipes.
Aug 11, 2023

What is the difference between gyoza and potstickers? ›

Gyoza is the Japanese variation on the traditional Chinese recipe of potstickers. They are usually made with thinner, more delicate wrappers, and the filling is more finely textured. The thinner skins mean that gyoza get crispier than chewy potstickers.

Why does gyoza taste so good? ›

Most commonly, gyoza is filled with pork filling. The rich, savory pork is flavored with various spices and sauces to make it delicious. In addition, the filling is very finely minced, so all the ingredients are very well incorporated, causing a nice uniform taste and a unique and soft texture.

What sauce to eat with gyoza? ›

ingredients
  • 13 cup soy sauce (we like the low-sodium variety)
  • 14 cup rice wine vinegar.
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil.
  • Tabasco sauce or hot sauce (We use sriracha)
  • 1 pinch sugar (optional)

Are gyoza and egg roll wrappers the same? ›

Asian wrappers, a common name for egg roll skins, gyoza wrappers, or wonton wrappers. But, whatever you call them, these delicate, yet sturdy sheets of dough are a blank canvas for the creative chef. Steamed, fried or delicately simmered in broth – The possibilities are endlessly delicious.

Are gyoza dumplings unhealthy? ›

Steamed dumplings are the best option in terms of fat content, with pan fried the next best. “If they do fry it -- like gyoza which are usually lightly fried -- then it puts the fat content up a little,” Austin said. “You want to avoid ones that have been completely deep fried.”

What dough are dumplings made of? ›

From-scratch dumpling dough requires only two ingredients — flour and water — and the water temperature yields different types of wrappers. Cold water is best for boiled dumplings because it causes the flour's proteins to form the gluten that makes dough chewy and able to withstand vigorously boiling water.

Are gyoza and wonton wrappers the same? ›

Indeed, there will not always be much of a difference; the terms gyoza and mandu are often times used interchangeably. Compared to a wonton, however, a gyoza tends to have a thicker wrap and a distinct, crescent-style shape.

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