Earlier this month, we talked about gnocchi — the Italian dumpling. We talked a little about where it came from, how it became so popular and the ways that we put our own unique spin on it. But there’s another dumpling that deserves just as much attention.
And that’s the Japanese dumpling: gyoza.
Most commonly, gyoza is served as an appetizer to your meal. It’s made from a thin sheet of wheat flour that is filled with vegetables or meats and then cooked to perfection.
There are three main types of gyoza distinguished mostly by the cooking process. Yaki gyoza is the most common type and it’s pan fried with a cornstarch and water mixture. The mixture is important because it steams the gyoza filling while creating a crisp outer layer.
Next is sui gyoza which is less common, but still excellent. It’s steamed and commonly served in the broth. And then there’s age gyoza, which is deep fried and mainly found in Chinese restaurants.
Although gyoza is described as the Japanese dumpling, it actually originated in China. Japanese soldiers were introduced to jiaozi while they were stationed in China during World War II. Once they returned home, they started telling their families about it and making it in their homes — except with the new name gyoza, which is the Japanese pronunciation of jiaozi.
If that story sounds familiar, it’s because it’s very close to the history of ramen. Crossing cultures all over the world has given us so many delicious foods!
In our restaurant, we fill our gyoza with a delicious blend of pork that we butcher ourselves every week, fresh, crisp cabbage and garlic chives. It’s one of the four accompaniments that we serve so you know that we’re extremely proud of the taste, quality and presentation.
We hope you and your friends enjoy our take on gyoza the next time you visit Noodle Bar PHX!