CHICKEN GYOZA…Pot stickers by another name!

It’s was one of those inspiring blog hops again, where another page had been added to the already bursting ‘to-make-soon’ folder. Dhhangit’s blog Easy French & Asian Recipes is a constant source of inspiration & has immense drool quotient. She churns out the yummiest of stuff, with pictures to entice. Most of the posts however are beyond me as she is leagues ahead, & sometimes, the level of difficulty is pretty high. Availability of ingredients is another story altogether. Luckily for me, she posted some delicious looking ‘Beef Gyozas‘ a while ago, & I was thrilled to see them. For once, I had all the ingredients on hand.

Jiaozi (Chinese), gyōza (Japanese), or mandu (Korean), is a Chinese dumpling. Jiaozi typically consist of a ground meat and/or vegetable filling wrapped into a thinly rolled piece of dough, which is then sealed by pressing the edges together or by crimping. Jiaozi should not be confused with wonton: jiaozi have a thicker, chewier skin and a flatter, more oblate, double-saucer like shape (similar in shape to ravioli), and are usually eaten with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce (and/or hot chili sauce); while wontons have thinner skin, are sphere-shaped, and are usually served in broth. The most prominent differences of Japanese-style gyōza from Chinese style jiaozi are the rich garlic flavor, which is less noticeable in the Chinese version, and the fact that Japanese-style gyōza are very lightly flavored with salt, soy, and that the Gyoza wrappers are much thinner than the Chinese counterpart. Gyōza can be found in supermarkets and restaurants throughout Japan. Pan-fried gyōza are sold as a side dish in almost all ramen and Chinese restaurants in Japan.

Chinese dumplings may be divided into various types depending on how they are cooked:
Boiled dumplings; (shuijiao) literally “water dumplings” (水餃)

Steamed dumplings; (zhengjiao) literally “steam-dumpling” (蒸餃)
Shallow fried dumplings (guotie) literally. “pan stick”, known as “potstickers” in N. America

I made a chicken variation on the recipe, & skipped the egg in the filling. The gyozas came out ever so good. They were a bit fiddly to make initially, but once you get the hang of things, they’re a breeze.

Chicken Gyoza
as adapted from Beef Gyoza @ Dhanggit’s Kitchen
Ingredients:

Dough:
2:1 ratio
2 cups of flour for every cup of warm water

Method:

• Mix them well using chopsticks till the dough comes together. Then knead till it becomes smooth and elastic.
• Roll into a thick long roll, then cut them 2 inches thick. Flatten them, roll out the dough as thin as you can & cut into 3″ circles using a cookie cutter or glass or lid.

Chicken filling:
Chicken mince – 1/2 kg
Green Onions -2 small, sliced (white part only)
Sesame oil – 2 tbsps
Fresh ginger – 2 tsps; grated
Soy sauce – tbsps
Pepper & salt to taste
Method:

• Mix all the ingredients well together. (I did this in the morning & left them in a bowl in the fridge).
• Put about a teaspoon of filling on your cut out dough. Dampen half the edge with a little water to seal well. Fold it and seal them gently by folding the sides. You need to dust with flour your hands and your working table to be sure they don’t stick.
• To cook them, place them altogether in your non stick pan (about 15 pieces). Pour about half a glass of water. Cover and let it boil, after the first boil let it simmer for another two to three minutes.
• Dump the water and replace it with oil (any cooking oil). And fry them until they are golden brown.
• You can use any Japanese soy sauce for dipping. I served them with a sweet chili garlic sauce.

An interesting way to serve them is in shot glasses with a some dipping sauce at the bottom.

This post featured on

• Chefs.com
• Southtown Star, Chicago Sun Times