Gyoza 锅贴 - Chicken and Napa Cabbage Dumpling

What kind of pan makes "good" gyoza? "Good" = tasty. "Good" = Perfectly charred dumpling bottom. "Good" = dumpling skin that is cooked through (gyoza that has undercooked dumpling skin? I hate that!), moist(not dried out) and al-dente.


A stainless-steel pan definitely does NOT make the job of cooking gyoza easy. But with some patience, it can still be done.

Napa and Chicken Gyoza (锅贴)
Ingredients: napa cabbage, blanched, squeezed napa dry of excess moisture and finely shredded; ground chicken (I use Whole Foods organic ground dark chicken which has more fat content but less fatty than pork); dumpling skin wrappers; seasoning: soy sauce, salt, white pepper, sesame oil, cooking wine, minced ginger, water(Note: Adding water will make the filling juicy...believe me - this is a tip!); 1 egg as binder

Directions: In a heated pan, add some oil. When oil is warm, add in gyoza (bottom down) and do not turn the gyoza. Allow them to sizzle till bottom of the dumpling is slightly charred. While the pan is hot, add water till dumplings are partially submerged. Cover the pan and allow the steam to cook the dumpling skin and the filling inside the dumpling. When most of the water have evaporated away, use a flat metal spatula to remove the gyoza gently from the pan. Start the next batch.


Using a stainless-steel pan may make washing and cleaning more difficult after all the cooking. Gyoza can still turn out perfectly good in taste and looks. ^0^



Frankly, making wontons are so much easier - no need to do too much frying. In the coming weeks, I will be posting a video on wonton wrapping. Tune in soon!

Wontons, Dumplings
Wontons, Freezer- Friendly Food
Wonton Dumplings in Chicken Soup
Wontons, Dumplings in Singapore and Hong Kong

Tag: gyoza, dumpling