Gyoza: the recipe for Japanese meat ravioli cooked in a pan

I gyoza are the traditional meat ravioli typical of Chinese cooking e Japanese. They are prepared with a simple pastry made with water and flour, spread thinly, and a filling of pork, spring onions, cabbage and soy sauce. The peculiarity of these ravioli lies in the shape a Crescent moon, sealed by pinching it with your fingers, and in the cooking that takes place in the pan: the gyoza are first browned on one side and then steamed. Crunchy and aromatic, they must be dipped in soy sauce before being tasted, which will serve to perfectly balance the flavors.

Try your hand at their preparation, following step by step the photographic steps for an impeccable execution, and serve them on the occasion of one special dinner with friends, with a fusion theme, accompanying them with chopsticks and other typical specialties of the Rising Sun tradition, such as golden tofu with spring onions or chicken in teriyaki sauce. To conclude on a sweet note, you cannot miss the delicious fried ice cream, dessert par excellence of Chinese cooking.

How to make gyoza

Make the pasta: pour the flour into the mixer, then add the hot water and a pinch of salt 1.

Blend until it forms a paste 2.

Transfer the dough to the work surface and knead for a few minutes 3.

Transfer it to a bowl and let it rest for at least 30 minutes, covered with cling film 4.

In the meantime, prepare the filling by putting the minced meat, the cabbage leaves, the spring onion and the garlic in the blender 5.

Also add the soy sauce 6.

Finally, add an egg yolk to make the dough more compact 7.

Blend until the mixture is firm and homogeneous 8.

Take the dough and form a loaf 9.

Divide it into equal pieces, about 25 10.

Make a ball from each piece 11.

Cover the balls with cling film as you form them to prevent them from drying out 12.

Roll out each ball with a rolling pin until you get a 1-2 mm thick sheet, then cut it out with an 8-9 cm pastry cutter to give a circular shape 13.

Make sure the circles of dough are even and all have the same thickness 14.

Place a teaspoon of the filling in the center of each circle 15.

Close it in a half-moon shape 16.

Using your fingers, close it by pinching it at the same time 17.

The result will be a crescent-shaped bundle pinched along the end 18.

Shape all the ravioli in the same way until you run out of ingredients 19.

Heat a drizzle of peanut oil in the wok and place the gyoza 20.

Brown them over high heat for a few moments until a nice crust has formed on the base 21.

At this point, blend with the water 22.

Immediately cover with the lid for a couple of minutes 23. This way they will steam.

Meanwhile, make the dressing by mixing the soy sauce with grated ginger 24.

Once ready, dip the ravioli in the soy sauce 25.

The gyoza should be dipped whole in the sauce which, otherwise, would be too savory 26.

Enjoy them hot 26.

Advice

The gyoza can be served as an accompaniment to ramen, a typical soup of oriental cuisineor as an aperitif together with edamame, soy beans.

Instead of cabbage, you can use Chinese cabbage or endive; instead of pork you can make them with chicken, beef or fish. Gyoza can also be steamed, fried or grilled.

storage

Gyoza can be stored in the refrigerator for one day at most. You can freeze them raw, if you have used fresh ingredients. Just place them in a pan with a little water and cook them for 5-6 minutes.