Gyoza, or pot stickers as they are also known, are dumplings filled with seasoned ground meat and sealed with a thin membrane of wonton skin. Gyozas can be pan-fried or steamed. The traditional way to serve them is in hot broth called ‘gyoza-jiru’ which means ‘gyoza soup’.
A gyoza party is a fun group activity and an excellent team builder. By splitting the preparation and division of labor into multiple stations, you and your friends will get to know each other better while having some silly fun.
Wondering how many gyozas per person? Here is everything you need to host your own successful gyoza party!
There are many factors to consider when deciding how many gyoza per person to serve. The size of the gyoza is one important factor. Small gyoza or bite-sized appetizers will need 6 or 7 for one per person, while larger gyoza will need two or three per person.
The size of the person is also an important factor. Larger people will generally require more food than smaller people, so they will need more gyoza per person. The occasion is also important when deciding how many gyoza per person to serve. A smaller meal for a family or event might only need one or two per person, while an office party might need several more per person
How many gyoza should you make?
The best way to determine how many dumplings to make is by following the rule of thumb for 4 dumplings per person served with garnishes such as dipping sauce, garlic scapes, soy sauce, chili oil and sesame oil.
However, this rule only applies when everyone will be eating the dumplings as a main course. If you are hosting a party, then you need to calculate the number of gyozas based on the number of guests you expect to come. The best thing to do is to add a couple of extra dumplings to your order just in case some of your guests are not as hungry as you expect them to be.
Ingredients for 8 people
Keep these simple ingredients on hand to feed 8 people: – 4 lbs. ground pork (or a combination of pork and chicken) – 1 tbsp. soy sauce – 1 tbsp. sesame oil – 3 cloves garlic, minced – 1/2 tsp. ginger, grated finely – 8 sheets of Wonton wrappers – 2 cups vegetable or peanut oil, or a combination of both
Preparing the filling and assembly
First, prepare the filling by mixing together the ground pork with soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and salt. The filling should be moist and not too dry nor too wet because drier filling will crack and fall apart easily while wet mixture will have a tendency to ooze out of the wrapper. Let the seasoned filling sit for about 10 minutes to let the flavors develop.
Next, boil water for the wonton wrappers. If you’re making the dumplings from scratch, follow the instructions on the wrapper and wait for the water to come to a boil again before adding the wonton wrappers. If you’re using store-bought wrappers, simply place the wonton wrappers in the boiling water for about 2 minutes.
While the wrappers are boiling, assemble the gyozas by taking a wrapper and placing about 1 spoon of mixture in the center of the wrapper. Use the back of a spoon to spread the filling to the edges of the wrapper. Make sure there is no air trapped inside the wrapper.
Cooking the dumplings
You can pan-fry or steam the gyozas. To pan-fry the dumplings, place enough vegetable or peanut oil in a medium pan to come halfway up the sides of the pan. Heat the oil to 350°F/177°C. Place the gyozas in the pan, being careful not to overcrowd the pan as this will lower the temperature of the oil and cause the dumplings to steam rather than fry.
Fry the dumplings on each side until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. To steam the dumplings, place enough water in a large pot to come about 1/3 of the way up the sides of the pot.
Place the gyozas in the pot, being careful not to overcrowd the pot as this will lower the temperature of the water and cause the dumplings to steam rather than fry. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 5 minutes.
Wrapping it up
You can serve your gyozas with a variety of dipping sauces, depending on the flavors you would like to emphasize. A traditional gyoza dipping sauce is a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar and minced garlic. For a more modern twist, try adding wasabi or scallions to the mixture.
If you’re serving gyozas as appetizers, place the dumplings on a platter and garnish each dumpling with a slice of scallion. If you’re serving gyozas as a main course, you can place each dumpling on a soup spoon and accompany the dumplings with a cup of hot broth for each guest.
A delicious and nutritious gyoza party will be the perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon with friends and loved ones. Hosting a gyoza party is a great way to spend a weekend afternoon and is a fantastic way to bring people together. Whether you are making gyozas from scratch or from a package, you’ll be guaranteed a delicious meal.
Final Summary
In Japan, a typical serving of gyoza is 6. In the United States, this number is more likely to be two to three depending on how large the gyoza are and how hungry the guests are. The number of gyoza to serve will depend on the type of event and purpose of the meal.
If it is a small meal for a family, then fewer gyoza would be appropriate. At an office party, more could be served as people might be hungry from working all day.
