Gyoza wrappers are absolutely amazing material that can match with so many types of foods.
Although the gyoza filling is usually made from ground pork and some vegetables, don’t you wanna try something else for it?
Here, I am introducing 26 ways to enjoy the gyoza wrappers!
It will be a good idea for people like the followings:
・Having extra (leftover) gyoza wrappers or wonton wrappers.
・Looking for the recipe for Vegan gyoza dumplings / Vegetarian gyoza dumplings.
・Looking for the alternatives of the ground meat in gyoza dumplings.
I will explain 26 ingredients in 7 categories (Bacon, Cheese, Shrimp, Tofu, Fish, Others, and Dessert.), by the way.
Bacon
1. Bacon and Corn
Shredded bacon and corn are the best combination as always. Since bacon has nice and salty taste already, the gyoza will be very delicious without special seasoning. Add cheese to your liking. Probably it would be better to bake the wrappers in a frying pan with a little oil rather than boiling in water.
2. Bacon and Potato
Please mix shredded bacon with mashed potatoes or cut potatoes. It will be even more delicious if you season the potato with salt and pepper and a little mayonnaise. Adding shredded cheese is of course great idea!
3. Bacon and Asparagus
Do you like asparagus? I think it’s often difficult to find the good recipe for asparagus. If you have extra gyoza wrappers, just put minced asparagus and shredded bacon in there, and bake or deep-fry. It will be amazing appetizer. Again, please feel free to add cheese as you like.
Cheese
4. Cheese and Sausage
Sausage and cheese are the best combination. I especially recommend using cheddar cheese. It depends on your taste, but usually these already have good taste without extra seasoning. Of course sausage can be replaced with bacon or ham.
5. Cheese and Kimchi
Cheese and kimchi are both fermented food, so they are a good match. The mild, creamy taste of cheese is mixed nicely with the sourness and spiciness of kimchi.
6. Cheese and Natto
Natto is also popular fermented food in Japan, and matches so well with cheese. It’s very sticky when it’s raw, but it will be easier to eat when it’s cooked actually: natto will be less sticky and the peculiar smell also weakens a little.
7. Cheese and Tuna
Maybe it’s easy to imagine the taste of canned tuna with cheese. I like to mix tuna with mayonnaise in advance, then wrap it with some shredded cheese. Melted cheese and tuna are definitely great filling for crispy fried gyoza wrappers.
8. Cheese and Cod roe
The combination of cheese and cod roe is very popular in Japan when eating pizza, okonomiyaki, etc. Often mochi (rice cake) is added to these. So, if you have one please enjoy the combination of these three. You can either use normal cod roe or spicy cod roe.
Shrimp
9. Shrimp and Onion
Please mix roughly chopped shrimp, minced onion, and egg in a bowl to make delicious shrimp filling. Put salt, pepper, and sesame oil. If you want to make it Thai style, add a little fish sauce. And, it would be even more delicious eating it while dipping in sweet chili sauce.
10. Shrimp and Avocado
Using avocado is also great way when using shrimp in gyoza. Avocado makes the gyoza very creamy and delicious. I recommend to season the gyoza filling with salt, pepper, chicken stock cubes, and lemon juice. Please add diced tomato as you like.
11. Shrimp and Edamame
If you have extra edamame in your fridge, why don’t you add them in gyoza. By adding both shrimp and edamame, the texture will be nice and a little crunchy. Maybe, you should season the filling with salt, pepper, sesame oil, and soy sauce.
Tofu
12. Tofu and Cabbage
Using tofu instead of meat is very common in Japan. Please microwave the tofu for a while to remove moisture in advance. Tofu matches well with any type of vegetables, so please feel free to use your favorite one such as cabbage. If you are fine to use meat together, please add a little ground pork or chicken in it. It will be more juicy and delicious.
13. Deep-fried tofu and Onion
Deep-fried tofu (atsu-age) is very firm so you don’t have to worry about making gyoza wet before baking. It has very savory flavor and a little crunchy texture, therefore you will be able to enjoy different taste from ordinary tofu. I think minced onion is the best vegetable that goes well with deep-fried tofu.
14. Tofu and Shiitake mushrooms
If you are okay with the unique smell of shiitake mushrooms, gyoza is the best dish to enjoy it. Since it has the strong scent, maybe you should add some shiso (Japanese basil) or something like that condiment.
Fish
15. Salmon and Potato
You can microwave a raw salmon and potato together, and mash the potatoes and mix with salmon flakes. Then season them with soy sauce, butter, salt, and pepper. Add minced green onion as you like. If you are thinking about fish for gyoza filling, salmon should be good to start with!
16. Canned mackerel and Shiso
Canned mackerel is also great item for gyoza. The great part about this is you don’t have to do a troublesome work for fish. Please pick the seasonings to add depending on the flavor of your canned mackerel. If it’s already seasoned well, for instance miso flavor, maybe there is no need for additional seasoning. Shiso will be great condiment for the mackerel with very refreshing scent.
Others
17. Curry
If you have leftover curry, you should definitely put it in gyoza wrappers. Deep-fried crispy gyoza wrappers are the best with the sweet and spicy curry paste. If your curry is too watery to wrap, it would be better by mixing with minced bread. Adding cheese is great idea too!
18. Egg and Ham
Egg and ham are the best ingredients for breakfast, right? Maybe some people put them in burrito. The gyoza wrappers can be nice replacement for it actually. Please cook the eggs to your liking. I like to mix minced boiled egg with mayonnaise, then put it in wrappers with ham and cheese.
19. Tomato and Basil
You can make mini pizza by folding tomato and basil with gyoza wrappers. Let’s make pizza sauce with ketchup, mayonnaise, garlic, salt, and pepper. Please bake it in a generous amount of oil or deep-fry to make them crispy. It’ perfect with mozzarella cheese!
20. Potato Salad
Mixing mashed potatoes with mayonnaise is very popular salad in Japan. We put sliced ham, cucumber, and carrot too. This salad is extremely delicious and it’s great if you wrap it in the gyoza wrappers as it is.
21. Potato and Corn
Nobody hates this combination. You can add any types of flavor for potato and corn since they match well with various type of seasonings. Or, it would be good idea that just making gyoza filling with only salt and pepper, then make dipping sauce. Of course, add your favorite cheese as much as you want!
22. Mashed Kabocha
As with the mashed potatoes, mashed kabocha (Japanese squash) is amazing ingredient too. It depends on the product, but usually kabocha is much sweeter than potatoes and so delicious only by itself. I recommend to microwave it first, then mix mashed kabocha with butter and a little milk. Good thing is that kabocha has half the calories of potatoes.
23. Crab stick and Nori/Cheese/Shiso
Crab stick is also the material that matches with various ingredients. If you are looking for some partner for crab stick when making gyoza, nori seaweed, cheese, and shiso are the one of the options.
Dessert
24. Banana and Chocolate
If you put banana and chocolate in gyoza wrappers, it will be perfect dessert. You may add marshmallows, dried raisins, or custard cream (vanilla pastry cream).
25. Apple and Cinnamon
Making apple pie at home is tough thing to do, so why don’t you make it super easy with gyoza wrappers. Let’s make the filling by roasting diced apple, butter, sugar, and cinnamon. All you have to do is wrap it in the wrappers and deep-fry it.
26. Cream cheese and Jam
If you have run out of fruits, some fruit jam can be good alternatives. By putting cream cheese with your favorite jam, the gyoza will be amazing creamy dessert!
