The Absolute Best Gyoza Needs These 3 Textures

Commonly found on Japanese restaurant menus and in frozen packages at the store, it's safe to say that almost every country has adopted a love for Japanese gyoza. This makes sense, as they were initially brought to Japan from China; actually, the differences between gyoza, Chinese dumplings, and potstickers aren't all that major. And there's even more nuance to the dish than that. We talked to the gyoza expert, private chef, and food writer Chef Koj, to get the specifics, and he says flavor isn't the only concern. "The filling should be bouncy — so that you have three textures ... a crispy bottom, a squidgy top, and a bouncy filling," he said.

The crispiness is dependent on the cooking method; Of the three types of Japanese gyoza, pan-fried gyoza is the one that will have that crispy bottom Koj referenced. The definition of "squidgy" is soft, wet, and malleable, which honestly describes the ideal texture of the top of a gyoza. The wrapper should be tender, indicating it has fully steamed, and wet from said steam. A "bouncy" filling means it's soft but not dense or mushy. For this, Koj says it's "[E]asiest to achieve with mince ... or rehydrated shiitake mushrooms." With that in mind, stick with dried and soaked mushrooms, as the chef also advised that "Fresh mushrooms don't have quite as much tension as dried ones."

Aside from discussing the ideal textures for traditional gyoza, Chef Koj also recommended ground pork, chicken, or prawns for the filling. But just as you can get creative with the fillings and ingredients — like using leftover birria meat for a unique gyoza culinary mashup — you can play with the textures. Add chili crisp to your filling to get some crunch in there. You can boil or steam your gyoza for a fully squidgy exterior. You could even chop up some of the rehydrated mushrooms and add them to your dipping sauce for some of that bounce.

If you choose to go the traditional route, minced cabbage, ginger, and garlic are good additions to the bulk of your filling. And there's no shame in using store-bought wrappers here. Avoid overfilling them (a bit of your flavor-packed filling goes a long way!), pan-fry the bottoms, and then steam them to squidgy perfection.