Japanese Style Pan Seared Dumplings filled with Ground Pork, Minced Lobster Tail, Hemp Hearts, Scallions and Aromatics, served with a Black Vinegar Dipping Sauce
DAIRY-FREE/OVO-PESCATARIAN/SOY-FREE
Total Time: 40+ minutes
Prep Time: 30-40 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Makes: 45-50 pieces (5 servings of 9-10 each + sauce)
Allergens: seeds, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat
Gyoza or Japanese fried dumplings, are a common appetizer in Japan. These cute little potstickers are seared to golden perfection and then steamed to finish, giving you the juiciest two-bite dumplings. Grab some chopsticks and dip these beauties in a gingery black vinegar sauce laced with sesame oil and coco aminos, for a gluten-free version of this popular dipping sauce.
This easy to make gyoza recipe is filled with a mixture of fatty pork, lobster tail meat and nutty hemp hearts, making it so meaty and umami-liscious. These are so good you’ll keep eating until all the dumplings are gone!
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Ingredients
GYOZA
- ½ lb. or 8 oz of ground pork
- ½ lb. or 8 oz of lobster tail meat
- 1 tablespoon of hemp hearts
- ¼ cup of napa cabbage, chopped
- ¼ cup of scallions, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- ½ tablespoon of hemp oil
- 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
- ½ tablespoon of cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon of sambal oelek or sriracha
- ¼ teaspoon of sea salt
- 50+ gyoza wrappers
- Cornstarch and water for sealing the gyozas
- Corn oil for frying
- Water for steaming
DIPPING SAUCE
- ¼ cup of black vinegar
- ¼ cup of coco aminos
- 1 shallot, peeled and minced
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- ½ teaspoon of sesame oil
GARNISHES
- Napa cabbage, hemp hearts and scallions
Steps
1.) Filling: Gather your ingredients. In a food processor, add the lobster tails, garlic and ginger. Pulse a few times to mince the meat, do not pureé. Add the rest of the filling ingredients and pulse again for a few times until everything is combined. Remove the filling from the food processor into a mixing bowl and set aside.
2.) Gyoza: Mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and stir. This will be your “glue” to seal the dumplings together. Place about a tablespoon and a half of filling in a gyoza sheet. Brush the top half with the glue and fold the bottom up, crimping the sides shut using your fingers. Lay the finished gyozas on a parchment paper lined tray. Keep making dumplings until the filling is finished.
3.) Dipping sauce: Mince the garlic, ginger and shallots. In a bowl, mix with the vinegar, coco aminos and sesame oil. Set aside.
4.) Gyoza pt. 2: In a non-stick pan pour a tablespoon of oil and turn the heat up to medium Sear however many gyozas that can fit in the pan, about 1 minute on each side. There are 3 sides, the bottom, the crimped side and the indented side. Only sear the bottom and the crimped side. Once the seared sides are golden brown, put about 2-3 tablespoons of water in the pan, cover with a lid and steam for 2 minutes or until the inside is cooked. Repeat this process for the rest of the gyozas.
5.) Serve: Plate your pan-fried dumplings with some vinegar sauce on the side, shredded napa cabbage, scallions and some more hemp hearts for garnish. Serve with chopsticks and enjoy!
Tips
- Storing and shelf life: This recipe makes a lot of dumplings, so if you want to, cut the recipe in half or store half of the prepared raw filling in a Ziplock bag and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to a month. Using a vacuum sealer will extend the raw filling’s shelf life 2x more. Store the cooked gyozas and dipping sauce separately in airtight containers for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
- Use a non-stick pan, the last thing you want is for your precious little gyozas to stick and rip open!
- If the dumplings are too difficult to crimp, fold them in half moon shapes, reminiscent of raviolis. Fry both sides and steam the same way you would originally.
Q&A
- Lobster can be pricey, what else can I use? Shrimp works great in this recipe too.
- I don’t eat pork; can I use ground chicken instead? Of course!
- Where can I find these Asian condiments/gyoza wrappers? These ingredients are pretty common nowadays but if you cannot find them at your favorite grocery store’s Asian aisle, check your local Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Filipino or Korean markets. They’ll most likely have them there.
