Gyoza

[jschyun]

Hmm, maybe the fillings might differ a little but the recipes all seem similar to me. They taste pretty similar too to me, for the most part.

So the answer is, uh, yeah they count. haha

[EdS]

Actually these are a little different than the regular ones, these gyouza (not sure if they have a name) were all the rage a little while back. They are the same as pan fried gyouza but at the very end of cooking a very thin potato starch (katakuriko)-water mixture is poured around the edges of the pan and the pan tilted a bit so that it flows under the gyouza connecting them all with this thin crunchy batter. These are really good!

not sure about that second picture.....

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That does sound good. I think I need to try this!

[SobaAddict70]

The menu said "pan-fried vegetable gyoza", and that's what I was expecting.  What came out instead was deep fried vegetable gyoza, served on top of a wilted green salad inside a deep fried rice dough shell and served with a carrot-ginger viniagrette, as a dipping sauce.  These "gyoza" had a cabbage/shiso filling, not quite expected.  It was....different.  7 out of 10 for this one.

Soba

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I wonder why they called them pan fried when they were deep fried???

what was it about them that you didn't like the filling or the deep fried part? or the dressing?

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It seemed to me a Japanese version (albeit a fancy hip version) of a classic Chinese-American eggroll minus the pork and shrimp and eggroll wrappers.

Soba

[ilyaura]

Actually these are a little different than the regular ones, these gyouza (not sure if they have a name) were all the rage a little while back. They are the same as pan fried gyouza but at the very end of cooking a very thin potato starch (katakuriko)-water mixture is poured around the edges of the pan and the pan tilted a bit so that it flows under the gyouza connecting them all with this thin crunchy batter. These are really good!

They`re called hane-tsuki gyoza - (made with a wing??). Here is more of an explanation.

[torakris]

Actually these are a little different than the regular ones, these gyouza (not sure if they have a name) were all the rage a little while back. They are the same as pan fried gyouza but at the very end of cooking a very thin potato starch (katakuriko)-water mixture is poured around the edges of the pan and the pan tilted a bit so that it flows under the gyouza connecting them all with this thin crunchy batter. These are really good!

They`re called hane-tsuki gyoza - (made with a wing??). Here is more of an explanation.

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Thanks for the name, I don't think I had ever heard it before. They don't seem to be very popular around here any more but they were all over the place 1 to 2 years ago.

Also welcome to egullet! and that is a great blog and the link you posted.

[torakris]

I love those bite sized gyoza, they look something like this

I have seen them called hitokuchi gyoza (一口餃子) one bite gyoza

otsumami gyoza (おつまみ餃子) snack gyoza

and Naniwa gyoza (なにわ餃子） Naniwa is the old name for Osaka

[SobaAddict70]

The ones at Minca seem pretty good. Light and almost greaseless, peppery/porky filling and a nice vinegar-soy sauce.

Another place to try is Zen Noodle Shop on St. Mark's Place between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. (These are NYC-based restaurants.)

Soba

[Kiem Hwa]

Last night I made Gyoza, featuring shiso:

I made Gyoza stuffed with a ground pork-shrimp-cabbage-etc. mixture, and either added a shiso leave or put cheese.

Also, I made Shiso-kabocha-mochi gyoza, using grated kabocha, and pieces of chopped up of mochi blocks wrapped in a shiso leaf!

(You cant see the mochi piece in this picture, it buried in the kabocha)

Our stuffing came out good, especially the kabocha ones cause I could really taste the shiso flavor, and it had creamy mochi inside, but for some reason our wrappers ended up being kind of stiff and rubbery. We had bought the wrappers, and cooked the gyoza by frying it in a little bit of oil for awhile (~7min), and them adding water and steaming it with the lid on (~7min), but maybe we over cooked them? (we were paranoid about the ground pork getting cooked well). Any ideas?

[torakris]

I just picked up the new book by NHK's Tameshite Gatten and they say to get the best tasting gyoza you should boil them first and then fry them. This is the opposite of how most people do it.

They say to put the gyoza into a frypan and add very hot water to half of their height, turn on the heat and boil for three minutes, then carefully holding the lid down pour the water off. Then drizzle the pan with oil and cook until they have a nice crisp crust.

As to the gu or filling:

For meat gyoza, you should place the meat in a bowl and add a bit of salt and soy sauce and then knead it really well, only after you have kneaded it should you add the rest of the ingredients.

[easternsun]

Well, I decided to do a pictorial of my veggie gyozas with TSP (textured soy protein).

The photos are a little scary and belong here but the final product is quite tasty and satisfies my gyoza cravings.

Scroll down at your own risk

The measuring cup on the right contains TSP. I use a dried flake version that I order from Tengu Natural Foods. The brownish bits on the cutting board are maitake and shiitake mushrooms.

Now I put the TSP and chopped mushrooms in a bowl and chop cabbage.

The cabbage was added to the bowl along with some chopped nira (garlic chives). Next step is to add some German Mozzarella. The bottles are organic soy sauce and organic goma (sesame) oil, some crap cooking sake because I was out of the good stuff and mirin. I add a bit of each.

You can quit now and you'll save yourself from....

Looks gross doesnt it? This is the filling all mixed up. It smells great btw.

We usually get our gyoza wrappers from a gyoza shop near our house but on this particular day, they were not selling any. So I used the supermarket variety. I think this was the shot that got the camera a bit mucky!

Into the pan my little pretties!

Not much to see here - gyoza are on the fire and the rice is cooling. My DH likes his rice on the cool side.

We ummmm....well, we ate the money shot!

The 100 yen shop was my best friend when I got married and had to buy absolutely everything. I cant stand this crockery now

I made a few more so that we could eat/show them but by the time I did, I was pooped and made no effort to make it pretty.

TSP is really not as bad as it looks. When I dont feel like making two completely different meals for DH and myself it is a life saver.

Sorry for the food smut

[sanrensho]

Looks good to me! The gyoza skins look a lot thinner than the ones we used to buy in Japan (and the Chinese ones we buy here in Vancouver). Is that the norm in your part of Japan?

Do you always use a kama for your rice?

[torakris]

Those skins look a lot thinner then the supermarket ones I buy, they are almost transparent.

If you hadn't told us what was in it we might never have known.....

I have never had either tp or cheese in gyoza, but I shouldn't knock it til I've tried it, right? It does look good though.

[Hiroyuki]

Great photos! They are not gross at all.

I have one question: What is the dipping sauce?

I usually mix soy sauce and vinegar at a ratio of 1:1. I hate rayu (sp?) because it's too piquant for me, and never put it in my dipping sauce.

[easternsun]

Looks good to me! The gyoza skins look a lot thinner than the ones we used to buy in Japan (and the Chinese ones we buy here in Vancouver). Is that the norm in your part of Japan?

Do you always use a kama for your rice?

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Hey Vancouver

(egullet makes me homesick!)

Yes, I always use a kama. People keep trying to give me an electric rice cooker, but I am happy with the way I do it. I wont go as far as to say the rice tastes better...ok I will !

They are thin skins arent they?? As we usually get them at the back door of the kitchen of a local gyoza shop, this was the first time in a very long time for me to purchase them from the supermarket. Kristin said they are thin too....maybe just that brand??

[easternsun]

Those skins look a lot thinner then the supermarket ones I buy, they are almost transparent.

If you hadn't told us what was in it we might never have known.....

I have never had either tp or cheese in gyoza, but I shouldn't knock it til I've tried it, right? It does look good though.

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Kristin, you should try TSP! I know lots of people hate it and I am not really into fake meat things but sometimes I dont feel like making a meat dinner and a veg dinner and this way I save so much time (and money). I can make it taste fairly meaty and control the texture with the amount of liquid I add. I use it for a quick Ma Po Tofu/Nasu or anything else that requires mince. I am a daily shopper and if I work late and dont make it to the shops before they close....I know what dinner will be!

Cheese in gyoza was an idea I got from one of those television programs on "Japan's Best Gyoza". I love cheese and want to put it in everything anyway so it wasnt hard to convince me!

[mizducky]

I think your pictures (and food) look great too!

About the TSP: I had tried, and kind of given up on, TSP, mainly because I was not liking the texture/mouthfeel of the stuff I was working with. Nomatter how long I cooked it, the little bits would still come out like rubbery little pencil-erasers. But now I'm wondering if it was just the brand of TSP I was using. Could you tell me the brand you get from Tengu, so I can see if I can find it here in the US? Thanks!

[easternsun]

Great photos!  They are not gross at all.

I have one question:  What is the dipping sauce?

I usually mix soy sauce and vinegar at a ratio of 1:1.  I hate rayu (sp?) because it's too piquant for me, and never put it in my dipping sauce.

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Hiroyuki,

We always have three options: Asahi Ponzu, salt and a shoyu (soy), goma abura (sesame oil), su (vinegar) and rayu (chili oil) sauce that I make myself.

[sanrensho]

They are thin skins arent they??  As we usually get them at the back door of the kitchen of a local gyoza shop, this was the first time in a very long time for me to purchase them from the supermarket.  Kristin said they are thin too....maybe just that brand??

Where in Japan are you? Maybe it's a local thing?

[easternsun]

I think your pictures (and food) look great too!

About the TSP: I had tried, and kind of given up on, TSP, mainly because I was not liking the texture/mouthfeel of the stuff I was working with. Nomatter how long I cooked it, the little bits would still come out like rubbery little pencil-erasers. But now I'm wondering if it was just the brand of TSP I was using. Could you tell me the brand you get from Tengu, so I can see if I can find it here in the US? Thanks!

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Sorry Tengu makes their own and I think it is available only in Japan. I can tell you that I have had the best results with the flakes not the chunks.

I do season the flakes but I dont pre-cook them. I add a little hot water and seasoning, fluff it with a fork and toss it in when a recipe calls for mince. I use Bragg to flavour it.

I hope that helps!

[easternsun]

They are thin skins arent they??  As we usually get them at the back door of the kitchen of a local gyoza shop, this was the first time in a very long time for me to purchase them from the supermarket.  Kristin said they are thin too....maybe just that brand??

Where in Japan are you? Maybe it's a local thing?

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I am in Osaka. I will see if I can find out! Does Gyoza King still make those yummy prawn gyoza?

[sanrensho]

I am in Osaka.  I will see if I can find out! Does Gyoza King still make those yummy prawn gyoza?

Sorry, I have no idea. I've only been to Gyoza King once in the last 5-6 years.

That's what I get for living in the culinary backwaters of Deep Cove.

[torakris]

I just ran across this.

Gyoza sweets

1. ichigo daifuku gyoza

2. apple pie gyoza

3. gyoza parfait

I am not quite sure what I think of this yet but I wouldn't mind trying the apple pie one!

[Cheeko]

Gee --

I would have said shrimp and shiitake, but after reading these posts and seeing some of the gorgeous dishes I've seen would make me think I haven't even begun to live yet... The Shiso-kabocha-mochi gyoza! Sounds good to me, rubbery skins or not

[_john]

I had a great goya rafuti gyoza at an okinawa restaurant. simply amazing. I've also had normal gyoza that contained strawberries mixed in, also extremely good. I will be going to a couple famous gyoza places in Osaka in the next few weeks and I will fill you in on the fillings.

[piazzola]

Funny these gyoza thingies, these gems assume different shapes and fillings across Asia yet the cooking method remains almost the same boil and shallow almost dry fry for the skin to crisp up.

Also known as pelmeni, vareniki, pierogi or pyrogy, koldunai, kreplah, manti but Siberian pelmeni and Kazakh manti share very similar fillings with gyoza.