Gyoza with crispy skirts

Gyozas are delicious but even better with a crispy skirt. This easy technique will give your frozen gyoza or dumplings the perfect golden brown finish.

What are gyoza?

Gyoza are Japanese dumplings made with thin dough filled with ground meat and vegetables. They are typically pan-fried to get a crispy bottom and then steamed or boiled to cook the filling through.

There are many variations of gyoza, but the most common filling is a mixture of ground pork, cabbage, and ginger. I’m very excited to have found this bag of frozen shrimp gyoza from Trader Joe’s.

The filling includes shrimp, white cabbage, chives, green onion, onion, ginger, and garlic. The dough has unbleached wheat flour, tapioca starch, water, and palm oil.

Heating instruction:

The bag suggested three ways to prepare the gyoza: pan frying, steaming, and microwave.

For this technique, I pan-fried and added an extra step to make the crispy bottom skirt.

Ingredients:

6 gyoza
2 tbsp oil
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp flour

Dipping sauce ingredients:

2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp crunchy garlic chili oil

Kitchen tools needed:

Skillet
Chopsticks or tongs
Glass lid for the skillet

Instructions:

Preheat oil in a skillet or saute pan. Place frozen gyoza flat side down.
Flip and cook each side for 1-2 minutes.
Add water and flour in a small bowl and mix until well combined.
Reduce heat to medium-low, slowly pour the water and flour mixture into the skillet, and cover immediately.
Steam gyoza until water has evaporated, and when the crispy skirt turns dry and crispy (you’ll know).
Serve immediately with the sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.

Quite simple. To ensure success, here are thing to keep in mind:

If the gyoza are stuck together, you can separate them by running them under cold water for a few seconds.
Use a reasonable amount of oil to coat the bottom of the gyoza.
Use a non-stick pan; they work better. If you don’t have a non-stick pan, use a regular pan with a thin layer of oil. Just be careful not to overcrowd the pan, or the gyoza will stick together.
To create a beautiful, crispy skirt, you must replace water with a starchy slurry for the pan-frying process.
If the gyoza are not browning evenly, you can flip them halfway through cooking.

With these simple tips, you can easily prep frozen gyoza to crispy perfection. So next time you’re craving a delicious and easy meal, grab a bag of frozen gyoza and get cooking!

Check out my Instagram REEL to see step-by-step. Did you make this recipe? Please tag me on Instagram @melshealthybowl to be featured in my stories.

Need for easy recipes? Check these out:

Gyoza with crispy skirts

Gyozas are delicious but even better with a crispy skirt. This easy technique will give your frozen gyoza or dumplings the perfect golden brown finish.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Small bites, Snack

Cuisine Japanese

Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

6 pieces Frozen shrimp gyoza (Trader Joe's brand)
2 tbsp cooking oil
3 tbsp water for slurry
1 tbsp flour for slurry

Dipping sauce ingredients

2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp crunchy garlic chili oil

Instructions

Preheat oil in a skillet or saute pan. Place frozen gyoza flat side down.
Flip and cook each side for 1-2 minutes.
Add water and flour in a small bowl and mix until well combined.
Reduce heat to medium-low, slowly pour the water and flour mixture into the skillet, and cover immediately.
Steam gyoza until water has evaporated, and when the crispy skirt turns dry and crispy (you'll know).
Serve immediately with the sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.