Japanese Shrimp Gyoza

By
Setsuko Yoshizuka
Setsuko Yoshizuka
Setsuko Yoshizuka is a food writer and Japanese cookbook author.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 08/3/22
Prep: 40 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 60 mins
Servings: 4 servings

The Japanese gyoza is a close cousin of the Chinese dumpling (jiaozi), although a much more modern invention. It is said that when the Japanese returned home from the occupation of Manchuria during WW II, they recreated the Chinese jiaozi, but made it their own using local ingredients, very thinly chopped, and a thinner wrapper. The result is a delicious and luscious preparation that is traditionally served with plain soy sauce or a citrus soy sauce such as ponzu.

Gyoza are often served as the main course at family meals and as a popular side dish or appetizer at ramen noodle shops and izakayas, the Japanese tapas-style restaurants. Filled with meat, such as pork, seafood, or chicken, that's mixed with vegetables, gyoza comprise a filling dish that can be cooked in a various ways. The most famous version is the equivalent of a potsticker, the yaki gyoza, which has a soft side and a crunchy side—amazing when dipped in the accompanying sauce. The sui gyoza is boiled and found in soups, while the age gyoza is deep-fried.

Our recipe for shrimp gyoza cooked yaki style has an unctuous filling of shrimp mixed with green onions, ginger, and napa cabbage. Pan-fried and then steamed, these gyoza are dipped in a savory and tangy ponzu sauce. If you can't find ponzu, a mixture of soy sauce and rice vinegar in a 1:1 ratio is great.

Japanese Shrimp Gyoza

The Spruce Eats / Ahlam Raffii
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Ingredients

For the Filling:

  • 1/4 pound napa cabbage, or green cabbage leaves

  • 2/3 pound raw shrimp, shelled, deveined

  • 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

  • 1 tablespoon green onion, chopped

  • 2 teaspoons sake

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

  • 2 teaspoons katakuriko, cornstarch, or potato starch

For Assembling:

  • 20 to 24 gyoza wrappers

  • 1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil, or as needed

  • 1/4 cup water

For Serving:

  • Ponzu sauce

  • Karashi, Japanese hot mustard, optional

  • Shichimi togarashi, Japanese 7-spice chili powder, optional

Steps to Make It

Make the Filling

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for Japanese shrimp gyoza recipe gathered

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  2. In a medium-sized pot with boiling water, cook the whole cabbage leaves for 2 to 3 minutes.

    Cabbage leaves in a pot of water

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  3. Drain well and let the cabbage cool off a little before squeezing out as much of the excess water as possible by pressing the cabbage leaves between your hands and pressing hard.

    Press cabbage leaves in bowl

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  4. Thinly chop the cabbage and place it in a medium-sized bowl. Reserve.

    Thinly chopped cabbage in a bowl

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  5. Finely chop the clean shrimp into a paste-like texture.

    Chopped shrimp on a plate

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  6. Add the shrimp into the cabbage bowl.

    Cabbage and shrimp in a bowl

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  7. Add the grated ginger and chopped green onion and mix all ingredients well.

    Add grated ginger and chopped green onion to the shrimp and cabbage

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  8. Add sake, salt, sesame oil, and katakuriko and mix well. You can knead the mixture with your hands too. 

    Add sake, salt, sesame oil, and katakuriko to the shrimp and cabbage mixture

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Assemble the Gyoza

  1. Have at hand a small bowl with water. On a clean work surface, place a gyoza wrapper and add a small spoonful of filling, about 1 heaping teaspoon, in the middle of the wrapper.

    Cabbage and shrimp filling on top of gyoza wrapper

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  2. Dip your finger in the water and moisten all around the wrapper edges.

    Wet the edges of a gyoza wrapper with water

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  3. Fold the wrapper in half to make a semicircle shape.

    Fold the wrapper in half to make a semicircle shape

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  4. Press tightly on the edges to close the gyoza. There shouldn't be any gaps as the filling can ooze out when the gyoza hits the pan.

    Press tightly on the edges to close the gyoza

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  5. Repeat the process until all of the shrimp filling is used.

    Raw shrimp gyoza

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Cook the Gyoza

  1. In a large skillet over high heat, add enough canola oil to coat the bottom, 1 to 2 tablespoons.

    Skillet with oil

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  2. Place the prepared gyoza in the skillet and fry until the bottoms become brown and crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes. Do not overcrowd the pan; if necessary work in batches, adding more oil as needed. Once the bottoms are golden, turn down the heat to low.

    Shrimp gyoza cooking in a skillet

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  3. Pour 1/4 cup of water in the skillet and cover. Steam the gyoza on low heat until the water is gone.

    Shrimp gyoza cooking in a skillet

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  4. Serve the gyoza with ponzu sauce on the side, the optional karashi, or an optional spicy ponzu with a pinch of shichimi togarashi on top.

    Japanese shrimp gyoza on a plate

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  5. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
422 Calories
10g Fat
59g Carbs
22g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 422
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g 12%
Saturated Fat 1g 6%
Cholesterol 160mg 53%
Sodium 1698mg 74%
Total Carbohydrate 59g 21%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 22g
Vitamin C 4mg 18%
Calcium 89mg 7%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 230mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)