Gyoza

Gyoza are dumplings of minced pork and cabbage in a thin wheat wrapper, cooked by a method that does two things at once. They came from Chinese jiaozi and were reshaped in Japan into something thinner, smaller and more garlicky.

What it really is

The filling is minced pork with finely chopped cabbage, garlic, ginger and spring onion. The dumplings are set flat in a hot pan until the bases colour, then water is added and the pan covered — the steam cooks the tops while the bases stay crisp.

Fried and steamed is one method, not two dishes. Yaki-gyoza, the pan-fried kind, is what most restaurants mean by gyoza. Boiled and deep-fried versions exist and are named differently.

How it is served

• Crisp side up, so it stays crisp.
• With a dip mixed at the table from soy sauce, vinegar and chilli oil.
• As a starter, or alongside ramen.

How to write it on the menu

• Say the filling — pork is usual but not universal.
• A vegetarian gyoza is a real dish, not an omission; list it separately.
• The wrapper is wheat and the dip is soy.

The ingredients, allergens and dietary notes listed here describe a typical recipe. They are not a binding declaration for any particular restaurant: recipes, portion sizes and the products used can differ.