I tend to think of gyoza as a side dish to ramen, but I have eaten some versions of these pan-fried Japanese dumplings that are so good I'd be happy to make a meal out of them. Like ramen, gyoza has its origins in China, where the dumplings are known as jiaozi.
The technique for cooking them is a little unusual: the dumplings are placed in an oiled skillet and pan-fried to brown the bottom. Water is added to the pan, which is then covered with the lid, to trap the steam and cook the filling and dumpling wrapper. After the water evaporates, the dumplings are cooked, uncovered, to crisp up the bottoms, before being served browned side up.
This recipe makes a lot of dumplings, but they freeze well. Lay the filled (but uncooked) dumplings on a baking sheet, leaving enough space so they're not touching each other. Freeze them until solid then transfer the dumplings to a zip-lock bag, squeeze out the air and seal the bag before storing it in the freezer. Cook the dumplings from their frozen state; if you let them defrost before cooking, the wrappers will get soggy.
Buy thin round wrappers, often labelled for gyoza, sui gau, or jiaozi.
