Scallop and Corn Gyoza with Sriracha Dipping Sauce

by Tokyo Terrace on September 25, 2009

I don’t know about you, but I had a marvelous morning today. I woke up, refreshed after a deep sleep, with an urge to cook. The sun is shining, the sky is a bright, crisp autumn blue (even though the temperature is still rather warm) and it is Friday. Who could ask for anything better than that?

As promised, I am beginning my posts on the birthday party menu I put together last weekend. Scallop and Corn Gyoza is recipe #1! Well, #2, since I already posted the lemon curd and espresso chocolate ganache mini pies… Anyway, get excited to make some amazing gyoza! The flavors worked together perfectly. The sweetness from the corn and the scallops along with the salty flavor of soy sauce and the nutty toasted sesame oil created a perfect filling for these delicious gyoza.

Gyoza are a form of dumpling that possess immense popularity in Japan. There is something about these little half moons that is completely addicting. I wonder if it is the filling, the pasta-like wrapper, or the combination of textures that keeps hubs and I coming back for more. I would venture to say it is all of those things rather than just one… We always seem to polish off a plate of gyoza in what seems like seconds.

Gyoza are often filled with ground pork, cabbage, chinese chives, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar. I found that the recipe can be quite versatile if you stick with the basics. Pretty much just remove the pork and substitute other meats, fish or veggies in its place. To maintain the traditional gyoza flavors, it helps to keep the remaining ingredients consistent. But hey, who says you can’t do whatever you want? NOT ME! Experiment away!

I have read many recipes that call for the addition of corn starch/flour. I have not once had a successful batch of gyoza when adding this ingredient. I don’t like it. So I don’t do it. *Until I used Andrea Nguyen’s recipe for Gyoza in her brilliant cookbook Asian Dumplings! I get the idea behind it, but it really isn’t imperative to have corn starch in the filling. That’s just me…

Typically, gyoza are served with a traditional sauce often made with soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil. However, with the unique filling for my gyoza, I thought an equally unique dipping sauce was in order.

My sriracha dipping sauce is so easy: Mix 1/3 cup sambal with 1/3 cup plain yogurt. Sounds like an odd combination, I know. I have heard of mixing sambal with mayonnaise, but to make the dip healthier I used plain yogurt. Sriracha is pretty spicy, so the yogurt also helped to add creaminess and make the sauce a little more mild.

You can serve the gyoza steamed or pan fried. Brad prefers them to be pan fried (and so do I) but they are also delicious steamed. After several attempts, I have found that regardless of how they are prepared, they must be steamed before pan frying. This helps to soften the wrappers and cook the filling all the way through without burning the gyoza.

I hope you enjoy these delicious bites! What other variations do you know of for gyoza? I would love to hear your ideas!

Scallop and Corn Gyoza
Makes 36-40 gyoza

1 package of about 40 gyoza/wonton wrappers
1/3 lb (or about 4 large) Sea scallops, chopped
1/4 head Nappa Cabbage, thinly sliced
1 ear fresh corn, cut off the cob, not cooked (note: do NOT use frozen corn. It has too much extra liquid in it and it will not taste good inside the gyoza…yuck!)
1/3 cup chopped fresh chinese chives
1 clove garlic
1 inch piece ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus extra for frying
In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, chives, corn and scallops. In a small bowl, combine the grated ginger and garlic along with the soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar. Whisk to combine.

Pour the liquid mixture over the scallop and veggie mixture. Stir to coat the ingredients. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Using a teaspoon, scoop a small spoonful of the filling into the center of the gyoza wrappers. Fold the wrapper around the filling and use a fork to seal the edges.

Place the gyoza in a steamer and cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Work in batches, placing the steamed gyoza on a plate. You may end the cooking process here, or continue reading for instructions on pan frying.

To pan fry:
Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Place the gyoza in the pan and fry for 2 minutes or until the bottom is brown and crisp. Reduce the heat and add 1/4 cup water. Cover the pan and allow the gyoza to steam in the pan (this ensures the wrappers are tender and soft rather than chewy). Transfer the gyoza to a plate and serve with Sriracha Dipping Sauce (recipe below.)

Sriracha Dipping Sauce
Makes 2/3 cup

2 tablespoons sriracha
1/2 cup plain yogurt

Combine the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Done!

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  • http://www.eleanorhoh.com/ Eleanor Hoh (Wokstar)

    Like the way you don’t feel restricted by standards. Instead of pan frying, I usually boil the dumplings first, then squirt oil on baking tray or tin foil before adding the dumplings and grilling them. Less oil, less work, crisp up in one go. Easy, try it, let me know if it works for you.

  • http://www.eleanorhoh.com Eleanor Hoh (Wokstar)

    Like the way you don’t feel restricted by standards. Instead of pan frying, I usually boil the dumplings first, then squirt oil on baking tray or tin foil before adding the dumplings and grilling them. Less oil, less work, crisp up in one go. Easy, try it, let me know if it works for you.

  • http://www.keeplearningkeepsmiling.com/ MaryMoh

    mmmm….yummy. I love gyoza. It’s fun to make & fun to eat and great for any time. A great way to hide vegetables. Your gyoza looks so delicious!

  • http://www.keeplearningkeepsmiling.com MaryMoh

    mmmm….yummy. I love gyoza. It’s fun to make & fun to eat and great for any time. A great way to hide vegetables. Your gyoza looks so delicious!

  • http://www.sense-serendipity.blogspot.com/ Divina

    Your gyozas are fantastic Rachel. I haven’t been making gyozas in a long. I used the pleated method to seal my gyozas. Supposed to be pretty but mine was horrible. I would love to have prawn gyozas. I did the usual filling of ground pork but with some ground coriander added. I actually love it. If I’m in the gyoza-making mode and I have some scallops available, I’ll make this one. And I don’t like the cornstarch either. The sauce is superb too.

  • http://www.sense-serendipity.blogspot.com Divina

    Your gyozas are fantastic Rachel. I haven’t been making gyozas in a long. I used the pleated method to seal my gyozas. Supposed to be pretty but mine was horrible. I would love to have prawn gyozas. I did the usual filling of ground pork but with some ground coriander added. I actually love it. If I’m in the gyoza-making mode and I have some scallops available, I’ll make this one. And I don’t like the cornstarch either. The sauce is superb too.

  • http://www.bouchonfor2.com/ Mel @ bouchonfor2.com

    Looks and sounds absolutely amazing. The sweetness of the scallops and corn must pair perfectly together. Simply gorgeous.

  • http://www.bouchonfor2.com Mel @ bouchonfor2.com

    Looks and sounds absolutely amazing. The sweetness of the scallops and corn must pair perfectly together. Simply gorgeous.

  • http://dropsofjupitor.wordpress.com/ doj

    Yum!! I would love to make my own dumplings!

  • http://dropsofjupitor.wordpress.com doj

    Yum!! I would love to make my own dumplings!

  • http://jeroxie.com/addiction penny aka jeroxie

    Gyoza is such a winner!

  • http://jeroxie.com/addiction penny aka jeroxie

    Gyoza is such a winner!

  • http://thibeaultstable.com/ Ann

    You have a wonderful blog.

  • http://thibeaultstable.com Ann

    You have a wonderful blog.

  • http://www.healthysandiegoliving.com/ Dawn (HealthySDLiving)

    Wow this looks delicious!

    I love mornings like you just described! :)

  • http://www.healthysandiegoliving.com/ Dawn (HealthySDLiving)

    Wow this looks delicious!

    I love mornings like you just described! :)

  • http://workout-then-cook.blogspot.com/ Cookie

    I love Gyoza! I’ve never had scallops in them before. How gourmet! That dipping sauce looks yummy too!

  • http://workout-then-cook.blogspot.com Cookie

    I love Gyoza! I’ve never had scallops in them before. How gourmet! That dipping sauce looks yummy too!

  • http://simplylifeblog.blogspot.com/ Simply Life

    Oh my, I think my mouth is watering uncontrollably right now after seeing those pictures. YUMMMM!!! =)

  • http://simplylifeblog.blogspot.com/ Simply Life

    Oh my, I think my mouth is watering uncontrollably right now after seeing those pictures. YUMMMM!!! =)

  • http://www.debishawcross.com/ Debi (Table Talk)

    Everything about this dish sounds right—love the sweet scallops with a bit of spice from the sambal.
    Happy weekend–

  • http://www.debishawcross.com Debi (Table Talk)

    Everything about this dish sounds right—love the sweet scallops with a bit of spice from the sambal.
    Happy weekend–

  • http://wasabiprime.blogspot.com/ wasabi prime

    Gorgeous! I love the round gyoza wrappers — they’re a lot more hefty than the square won ton wrappers. I make gyoza whenever there’s oddball leftovers in the crisper. It’s like the Asian equivalent to French croquettes. I’ve used the corn starch when an ingredient might be a bit watery, but usually it’s fine without it. Even though it doesn’t yield soft, chewy gyoza, I’ll bake mine for bulk results. I lay rows of stuffed, sealed gyoza on a cookie sheet, brush a bit of oil over them, and into the oven they go. It only takes a few minutes for the insides to cook and the outsides brown up to a fried-like crispness. I’ll make a spicy peanut and soy dipping sauce or just float them in a broth for an easy soup dinner.

  • http://wasabiprime.blogspot.com wasabi prime

    Gorgeous! I love the round gyoza wrappers — they’re a lot more hefty than the square won ton wrappers. I make gyoza whenever there’s oddball leftovers in the crisper. It’s like the Asian equivalent to French croquettes. I’ve used the corn starch when an ingredient might be a bit watery, but usually it’s fine without it. Even though it doesn’t yield soft, chewy gyoza, I’ll bake mine for bulk results. I lay rows of stuffed, sealed gyoza on a cookie sheet, brush a bit of oil over them, and into the oven they go. It only takes a few minutes for the insides to cook and the outsides brown up to a fried-like crispness. I’ll make a spicy peanut and soy dipping sauce or just float them in a broth for an easy soup dinner.

  • http://www.houseboateats.com/ Talley

    great looking gyoza! lovely pictures. I like the look of that sambal sauce too. . . I’ll give it a try as a break from the standard soy saucerice vinegar I always dip my gyoza in.

  • http://www.houseboateats.com Talley

    great looking gyoza! lovely pictures. I like the look of that sambal sauce too. . . I’ll give it a try as a break from the standard soy saucerice vinegar I always dip my gyoza in.

  • thewhitesintokyo

    Man o man that sounds good with the peanut/soy dipping sauce.

  • thewhitesintokyo

    Man o man that sounds good with the peanut/soy dipping sauce.

  • http://thescootabaker.blogspot.com/ The Scootabaker

    OMG to the tenth degree!
    God I couldn’t think of a more perfect gyoza flavor combo! I don’t think I would have the patience to make my own gyozas when I can buy a bag at Trader Joes. But you’re rocking (once again) the Japanese cooking. Very impressive! The next stop for me in my world travels is Japan fo sho! My boyfriend Michael has been there twice, so he’s got me beat. Can I stay with ?? I’ll bake if you cook!!

    luv,
    heather

  • http://thescootabaker.blogspot.com The Scootabaker

    OMG to the tenth degree!
    God I couldn’t think of a more perfect gyoza flavor combo! I don’t think I would have the patience to make my own gyozas when I can buy a bag at Trader Joes. But you’re rocking (once again) the Japanese cooking. Very impressive! The next stop for me in my world travels is Japan fo sho! My boyfriend Michael has been there twice, so he’s got me beat. Can I stay with ?? I’ll bake if you cook!!

    luv,
    heather

  • tokyoterrace

    Eleanor: Thanks for the tips on how to cook gyoza! I’m always looking for new, better ways to make them and I will definitely try this. I especially like the ‘less clean-up’ idea!

  • tokyoterrace

    Eleanor: Thanks for the tips on how to cook gyoza! I’m always looking for new, better ways to make them and I will definitely try this. I especially like the ‘less clean-up’ idea!

  • tokyoterrace

    MaryMoh: It is a genious way to hid vegetables. I love the corn because it stays crisp and sweet, creating a really nice balance of textures. Thanks for stopping by!

  • tokyoterrace

    MaryMoh: It is a genious way to hid vegetables. I love the corn because it stays crisp and sweet, creating a really nice balance of textures. Thanks for stopping by!

  • tokyoterrace

    Divina: I’m so glad you like this recipe! I used to try the pleated method, but have had a hard time perfecting it. I decided to use a fork when I made these for the part a week ago because it was easier and faster. I actually think they look rather pretty this way too. Let me know if you make these! I’d love to know how they turn out!

  • tokyoterrace

    Divina: I’m so glad you like this recipe! I used to try the pleated method, but have had a hard time perfecting it. I decided to use a fork when I made these for the part a week ago because it was easier and faster. I actually think they look rather pretty this way too. Let me know if you make these! I’d love to know how they turn out!

  • tokyoterrace

    Mel: It is funny how two ingredients that typically go so well together in other forms worked perfectly in something so very different. Gyoza are wonderfully versatile and the flavors in this recipe worked wonderfully. Thanks for the comment!

  • tokyoterrace

    doj: It is totally worth it!

  • tokyoterrace

    Penny: Agreed!

  • tokyoterrace

    Mel: It is funny how two ingredients that typically go so well together in other forms worked perfectly in something so very different. Gyoza are wonderfully versatile and the flavors in this recipe worked wonderfully. Thanks for the comment!

  • tokyoterrace

    doj: It is totally worth it!

  • tokyoterrace

    Penny: Agreed!

  • tokyoterrace

    Ann: Thank you!

  • tokyoterrace

    Ann: Thank you!

  • tokyoterrace

    Dawn: It is wonderful to start out the day completely refreshed. I love it!

  • tokyoterrace

    Dawn: It is wonderful to start out the day completely refreshed. I love it!

  • tokyoterrace

    Cookie: Thanks! The scallops are a unique, but totally worthwhile addition to the gyoza.

  • tokyoterrace

    Cookie: Thanks! The scallops are a unique, but totally worthwhile addition to the gyoza.

  • tokyoterrace

    SimplyLife: Glad you like the looks of this post! I hope you’ll give them a try!

  • tokyoterrace

    SimplyLife: Glad you like the looks of this post! I hope you’ll give them a try!

  • tokyoterrace

    Debi: It does seem like the perfect combination of flavors. I love the texture contrasts too- it just adds to the deliciousness!

  • tokyoterrace

    Debi: It does seem like the perfect combination of flavors. I love the texture contrasts too- it just adds to the deliciousness!

  • tokyoterrace

    wasabiprime: Wow! That sounds sooooo amazingly yummy! Peanut sauces are definitely a favorite in our house. So so good!

  • tokyoterrace

    wasabiprime: Wow! That sounds sooooo amazingly yummy! Peanut sauces are definitely a favorite in our house. So so good!

  • tokyoterrace

    Talley: The sambal sauce is a great twist. There is something about the creamy, spicy sauce paired with the sweet filling in the gyoza that is just perfect. Thanks for stopping by!

  • tokyoterrace

    Talley: The sambal sauce is a great twist. There is something about the creamy, spicy sauce paired with the sweet filling in the gyoza that is just perfect. Thanks for stopping by!

  • tokyoterrace

    Scootabaker: So glad you like these!! I hope you will give them a try and let me know what you think! I can understand getting Trader Joe’s gyoza- I usually buy mine ready made here in Japan too. These are so easy though- totally worth it! If you make it Tokyo, we will have a blast! I will totally give you free rein over my teeny tiny oven! :)

  • tokyoterrace

    Scootabaker: So glad you like these!! I hope you will give them a try and let me know what you think! I can understand getting Trader Joe’s gyoza- I usually buy mine ready made here in Japan too. These are so easy though- totally worth it! If you make it Tokyo, we will have a blast! I will totally give you free rein over my teeny tiny oven! :)

  • http://tokyofoodcast.com/ Tokyofoodcast

    I love your gyoza idea! I can feel the texture as I read your description and see pictures. And your perfect closing technique is so elegant. Another great recipe!

  • http://tokyofoodcast.com Tokyofoodcast

    I love your gyoza idea! I can feel the texture as I read your description and see pictures. And your perfect closing technique is so elegant. Another great recipe!

  • http://www.fakefoodfree.com/ Lori

    I’ve decided the best way to enjoy all ingredients is wrapped up as a dumpling or bun. :) These sound fantastic!

  • http://www.fakefoodfree.com Lori

    I’ve decided the best way to enjoy all ingredients is wrapped up as a dumpling or bun. :) These sound fantastic!

  • tokyoterrace

    Fakefoodfree.com: I agree! Thanks for stopping by!

  • tokyoterrace

    Fakefoodfree.com: I agree! Thanks for stopping by!

  • thewhitesintokyo

    As the cleaner-upper-in-chief, I ALSO like this recipe. Wokstar…you wok.

  • thewhitesintokyo

    As the cleaner-upper-in-chief, I ALSO like this recipe. Wokstar…you wok.

  • thewhitesintokyo

    Miss Scootabaker…there’s a tatami room and Japanese futon waiting for you and Michael anytime.

    If you girls cook together, I’ll clean everything. Sounds like a deal to me.

  • thewhitesintokyo

    Miss Scootabaker…there’s a tatami room and Japanese futon waiting for you and Michael anytime.

    If you girls cook together, I’ll clean everything. Sounds like a deal to me.

  • http://www.ameliefille.blogspot.com/ Noelle

    Great recipe and pictures!

  • http://www.ameliefille.blogspot.com Noelle

    Great recipe and pictures!

  • https://tokyoterrace.com/2009/12/29/new-years-eve-menu/ New Year’s Eve Menu « Tokyo Terrace

    [...] Scallop & Corn Gyoza [...]

  • https://tokyoterrace.com/2010/08/wine-dinner-scallop-corn-gyoza-paired-with-hb-picpoul-de-pinet-2009/ Wine Dinner: Scallop & Corn Gyoza paired with HB Picpoul de Pinet 2009 — Tokyo Terrace :: An American Foodie in Tokyo

    [...] Click here for the recipe if you’d like to give these a try! You will not be disappointed. Enjoy! var a2a_config = a2a_config || {}; a2a_config.linkname="Wine Dinner: Scallop & Corn Gyoza paired with HB Picpoul de Pinet 2009"; a2a_config.linkurl="https://tokyoterrace.com/2010/08/wine-dinner-scallop-corn-gyoza-paired-with-hb-picpoul-de-pinet-2009/"; [...]

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