Gyoza Two Ways

A few months ago, I had a school project called Iron Chef, and I used gyoza wrappers to make Mexican pork gyoza. They were a hit and weren't too difficult to make, so I decided to make more. I already had a whole package of the wrappers in my freezer, which made it even easier. I created both of these recipes completely out of items that were already in my freezer or pantry, and even better, they're both vegan! Technically, my savory ones were just vegetarian, because the fake meat I used had eggs and milk in it, but you could easily buy the vegan variation. However, you could also use ground beef or pork to make these and it would also be super yummy.

This is actually a great meal prep item as well, because you make a bunch at once, but then you can keep them in the freezer and cook a few at a time when you want some. One thing I would say is BE CAREFUL WHEN COOKING THEM. They can very easily stick to the pan if you leave them alone or don't follow the package directions correctly. You also need to make sure they are fully sealed so that nothing spills out. Since it was hard for me to explain how to seal them, I will attach a link to a video of how to do it. This is not my video, just one I found on the internet so you don't have to. I hope you find success with this recipe! And always feel free to DM me pictures anytime you recreate one of my recipes!

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Savory Gyoza Recipe

Serves 5

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 cups veggie "meat" crumbles

- 1 cup mixed frozen veggies

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- 2 medium leaves basil, chopped

- 20 gyoza wrappers (approximately)

- soy sauce, to taste

- sweet chili sauce, to taste

- lime juice, to taste

- ground ginger, to taste

- cooking oil

Steps:

1. Cook meat crumbles in a pan according to package directions.

2. Add garlic, ginger, and frozen veggies and continue cooking until veggies are soft and cooked through.

3. Add soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, and lime juice and continue cooking until the flavors are absorbed.

4. Stir in basil and allow the mixture to cool.

5. Once cooled, fill each gyoza wrapper with about a 1/2 tbsp of the mixture.

6. Use finger to brush water around the edge, then pinch the sides together to create a half moon shape, and bend to create pleats.

7. Cook the dumplings in a pan with cooking oil according to directions on the gyoza wrapper package.

*Tip: Create a sauce by combining the three sauces used in the meat mixture, or buy pre-made gyoza dipping sauce!

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Dessert Gyoza Recipe

Serves 5

Ingredients:

- 2 ripe bananas

- 2 tbsp chocolate chips

- cinnamon, to taste

- 20 gyoza wrappers (approximately)

- 1/2 tbsp peanut butter

- honey, to taste

- cooking oil

Steps:

1. Mash bananas in a bowl and add desired amount of cinnamon.

2. Stir in chocolate chips, then freeze the mixture for a while.

3. Once the mixture is about the texture of ice cream, remove from the freezer.

4. Fill each gyoza wrapper with about a 1/4 tbsp of mixture. It may not look like enough, but if you use anymore, the banana will squeeze out the sides of the dumplings.

5. Follow steps 6 and 7 from the recipe above to shape and cook the gyoza.

6. Create a dipping sauce using peanut butter and honey, adding water to thin it out as necessary.

*Tip: A good serving size is about 4 of these, so the sauce amounts are good for one serving. Multiply the sauce if serving all of the gyoza at once.