An easy and quick chewy and crispy, bite-sized bbq pork (char siu) gyoza dumplings recipe, for days when you are craving char siu bao as a snack but want something you can make in a pinch!
I'm always craving char siu and whenever I get a chance I like to make it since it freezes so well and it makes for quick and easy dinners (You can find the recipe here: 'Sweet and Sticky Chinese BBQ Pork (aka Char Siu)'). So it's no surprise that I am always craving char siu bao. But in all honesty, when it comes to baking or working with yeast, I am completely at a loss. I think it has something to do with exact measurements and being precise but bao intimidates me so I decided to curb that char siu recipe by making it into a crispy gyoza dumpling instead!
INGREDIENTS FOR CHINESE BBQ PORK GYOZA DUMPLINGS
- Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork) - If you have the time, you can make your own char siu with our recipe but if you're pressed for time, you can buy pre-made char siu at a Chinese supermarket or restaurant for this recipe as well.
- Oyster Sauce - Oyster sauce gives the filling a bit of moisture and umami ness.
- Hoisin Sauce - Hoisin sauce gives the filling a touch more flavor and sweetness and makes for a good sauce base as well as providing more moisture to the filling as well.
- Honey - Honey gives the filling and the sauce sweetness and balances out the saltiness from the oyster sauce. You can substitute it with maple syrup as well but use a bit more since honey is sweeter than maple syrup.
- Green Onions - The green onions adds another dimension of flavor to the filling without overpowering the char siu
- Chinese Five Spice - Five-spice gives the filling a bit more five spice flavor. I found without it, the wrappers can mask the original five-spice flavor from the char siu.
- Dumpling Wrappers - Dumpling wrappers can be found at the Asian grocery store in the refrigerator sections where they sell fresh noodles. See my notes below on how to tell the difference between dumpling wrappers and wonton wrappers. Use dumpling wrappers for crispier and chewier dumplings.
DUMPLING WRAPPERS vs WONTON WRAPPERS
There are 2 main types of dumpling wrappers out there, the two main ones are dumpling skins and wonton skins. They come in square and round shapes but they differ in thickness and texture.
For this recipe, I would highly recommend using dumpling skins for their fabulously chewy, dense texture. Wonton skins are a lot thinner and a lot lighter - they still work but it would produce a lighter and less chewy dumpling.
Wonton wrappers are very pliable and bendy in its packaging because of how thin and light they are. They are also easily separated because they are floured generously between skins. They usually have eggs in the ingredient list (although I have seen some with yellow food coloring instead of egg). They come in both round and square shapes.
Dumpling wrappers are denser and thicker and feel a bit more doughy, so they are less pliable and bendy. They are paler in color (wonton skins are usually more yellow) and the skins are also more densely stacked together (almost stuck together). They usually don't have any egg in the ingredients list and they also come in round and square shapes.
CHINESE BBQ PORK GYOZA DUMPLINGS FILLING
This gyoza dumpling filling has no filler, it is pure char siu and a bit of green onions which means you don't need to worry about the insides not being cooked properly from raw ingredients. It's a great recipe to make with kids as well since there is no raw meat inside and can easily be made with any leftover char siu as well. You just chop everything into small pieces and combine it with the sauce and spices and you're good to go!
If you're like me and love the crispy, chewy skin, then don't overstuff the dumplings! 🙂 Less filling means more crispy-chewy skin! The result of this will be a chewy crispy dumpling with the sweet bbq pork char siu filling. Fantastic for a quick snack or a meal in my case! 😛
A SIMPLE WAY TO FOLD GYOZA DUMPLINGS
I like to keep things simple by just using a bit of water on the edge of the skin as 'glue' and then press along the edges to make them pleatless! If you don't care how it looks, I find it's the quickest and easiest way. 🙂 If you want to learn how to make the pleats, I have a 'Guide to Folding Potstickers - 2 Ways' as well! There is no right or wrong way to do this. 🙂
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Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu) Gyoza Dumplings Recipe
Recipe Notes
- If you like dumplings that are chewy and crispy, put less filling in them. It gives you more skin for that wonderful chewy crispy texture.
- You can find our Sweet and Sticky Char Siu Recipe here : https://pupswithchopsticks.com/sweet-sticky-chinese-bbq-pork-aka-char-siu/
- This recipe works best with a non-stick pan.
- For instructions on how to fold pleats on dumplings, check out our guide here: https://pupswithchopsticks.com/guide-to-folding-potstickers-2-ways/
- If you have extra dumpling wrappers, you can wrap them tightly with plastic wrap and place it in a ziploc and freeze it. Defrost it a day or two in advance in the fridge if you want to use it again.
Ingredients
- 1 package dumpling wrappers
Dumpling Filling
- 1 lb bbq pork (char siu) (chopped)
- 5 teaspoons oyster sauce
- 5 teaspoons hoisin sauce
- ½ teaspoon chinese five spice
- 5 teaspoons honey
- 2 stalks green onion (finely chopped)
Instructions
Making the Filling
- Combine all the ingredients in the 'Dumpling Filling' ingredient list together into one bowl and mix until the meat has been coated in the sauce.
Wrapping the Dumplings
- To wrap the dumplings, fill the center with a teaspoon of filling (or less if you like a more chewy crispy dumpling).
- Use a bit of water along the edges as the "glue". Fold the dough over and press on the seams to put it together. *See notes for a link on how to fold dumplings with pleats*
Cooking the Dumplings
- Add oil to a non-stick pan and adjust the heat to medium low.
- Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add a few dumplings into the pan, careful not to overcrowd it.
- Brown them lightly on the bottom of the dumplings. You can lift they up to check on the bottoms to see how brown they are turning.
- Once the bottoms of the dumplings are slightly brown, crispy and toasted, add ¼ cup of water into the pan and put a lid on it and steam it for approximately 2-4 mins. Make sure the bottom of the pan is covered with water or the dumplings will burn. (This will steam the dumplings to soften up the skin at the top which will make them chewy.)
- Remove the lid and let the water evaporate. At this point, the dumplings will look waterlogged and that's perfectly normal. Once the water has all evaporated the oil will start to crispy the bottoms of the gyoza again.
- Once the water has all evaporated, continue to brown and crisp up the dumplings for about 5 mins
- Remove from the pan when the dumplings are crispy on the bottom.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is calculated using online tools and is an estimate*
Josie says
Yes. I do agreed the above viewer's comments. Easy to make and very tasty. Most of all is very low calories. Joyce, you are the BEST !👍👍😊 Thank you.
Joyce Lee says
Thanks! There's always something cool to make with leftover char siu! heehee
Samantha says
Wow..Joyce...this is an amazing and easy to make recipe till date..it looks are fabulous & such a delicious dish...i will definitely make this few days later....Thanks for sharing....! https://www.pizzamakingtools.com/
Joyce Lee says
Thanks Samantha! Hope you enjoy it!