Grandma Ariko's gyoza

It brings me so much joy to pass down my mom’s recipes.These meals are not just food; they are cherished memories that remind me of love, laughter, and the traditions that shaped our family.

My mom’s gyoza was everyone’s favorite! She would literally make hundreds at a time, turning her tiny kitchen into a bustling assembly line. She’d cook some for our family, freeze a batch, and share the rest with our neighbors. My job was chopping cabbage since we didn’t have a food processor back then—I guess I was her food processor! 🤣 Thank goodness for technology, so I don’t have to chop cabbage by hand when I make gyoza now.

The recipe was originally written for me in Japanese, which I translated into English for my girls. I’ve made this gyoza with them so many times that now they’re able to make it on their own. I can only imagine how proud my mom must be of them from above!

Gina and Henry making gyoza @ our home in Aptos, Dec 2018

make about 120 gyozas

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Ingredients

For Gyoza:

• 1 lb of ground pork

• ½ head of napa cabbage (cabbage is fine too)– finely chopped

• 5~7 shiitake mushrooms, fresh or dried – finely chopped (if dried, soak them in lukewarm water for a few minutes.)

• 1 medium-size onion – finely chopped

• 2 tbsp chives – finely chopped

• 3~4 garlic cloves- finely chopped

• about 1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped or grated

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

• 2 tbsp sake

• 2 tbsp sesame oil

• 2 tsp of sugar

• 2 tsp tobanjan

• Gyoza wrappers (I prefer to use Japanese gyoza wrappers as they are thinner than Chinese ones.)

For Preparation/Cooking

• Flour

• water

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil (and 1 tsp sesame oil - optional)

For Dipping Sauce

• Equal parts low sodium soy sauce and rice vinegar

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Instructions

1. Finely chop (or use a food processor) all the vegetables, including ginger, garlic, and chives, and place them in a large bowl.

   

2. Mix the soy sauce, salt, sake, sugar, sesame oil, and tobanjan together in a small bowl.

   

3. Add the soy sauce mixture and ground pork to the vegetables, and mix well by hand.

   

4. Cover a cutting board/surface with flour. Dip your finger in cold water and use it to moisten half of the circumference of the gyoza wrappers.

   

5. Scoop about 1 tsp filling and place it in the center of the wrapper. Be careful not to overfill, as too much filling will prevent you from closing the wrapper.

   

6. Fold the gyoza wrapper in half, making sure the wet side is touching a dry side. Make sure the wrapper is completely pressed closed. 

   

7. Make 4~5 pleats along the top of the gyoza.

   Note: At this point, the gyoza is ready for cooking. If you don’t want to cook all of them, you can freeze the extras. Place them on a lightly floured baking sheet, ensuring they are not touching each other to prevent them from ripping when you try to separate them. Once they are frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag. They will keep in the freezer for about 2 months.

   

8. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Place a batch of gyozas in the pan and cook for 1 minute, or until the bottoms are lightly browned. Add 2~3 tbsp water to the pan and cover with a lid. Steam until the water has evaporated and the bottoms are nicely crispy, about 2~3 minutes. (Note: Steam for an additional couple of minutes if you’re cooking frozen gyozas.)

   

   

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