Learning how to reheat gyoza is very important considering that they are very delicate. If reheated the wrong way they have the potential of turning soggy and lose all of that divine crispy texture. You can always buy gyoza at any Japanese restaurant and sometimes you can find them in Chinese restaurants. Below are 4 distinct methods that you use to reheat gyoza after buying it. Carefully follow the instructions especially if you want to achieve a gyoza that is crispy on the outside but soft and moist in the inside.
Contents
NB: gyoza needs to be stored in the refrigerator at all times especially when you do not plan on eating it immediately. Always reheat gyoza before eating it so as to reduce the risk of food poisoning
What is gyoza?
A gyoza is similar to a dumpling but it is actually much thinner than a dumpling and the staffing used to make gyoza is finely chopped. Although gyoza and dumplings are often confused the 2 have different origins. The gyoza originated in Japan while the dumpling originated in China. Gyoza is crispier as compared to a dumpling and its size is much smaller as compared to a dumpling. Gyoza is cooked using a combination of the pan-frying and the steaming technique and it contains a lot of garlic as compared to the dumpling.
Reheat gyoza on a stove using water
NB: this method is similar to the one which is below, but here you need to add water to the gyoza.
Step 1
Take a pan and add a small amount of water to the pan. You can put enough water just to cover the surface of the pan. Place the pan of a stove and allow the water to reach a boil
Step 2
When the water has boiled add the dumplings inside and cover the pan with a lid. This will help to enable the heat to really circulate around the gyoza so that they can be heated all the way through.
Step 3
When the water has evaporated remove the gyoza from the pot and add a small amount of sesame oil to the pan. If you do not have it just use any type of oil. When the oil has heated up add the gyoza into the pan and refry them until they are crispy.
Reheat gyoza on a stove using oil only
NB: this method is suitable if you want to retain the crispiness of the gyoza. You will be basically reheating the gyoza by refrying them. Use this method if you are sceptical about adding water to the gyoza because of fear that they might turn soggy.
Step 1
Take your skillet and place it on a stove that is turned on to medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to the skillet and allow the oil to heat up. This is because if you add gyoza to oil that is not hot, they will ultimately soak in all the oil. Thus they end way too oily.
Step 2
When the oil has heated up place the gyoza inside and cover them with a lid. This will enable the heat to circulate around the gyoza so that it can reheat evenly inside.
Step 3
Fry the gyoza for about 3 minutes until they are nice and warm. Make sure you do not burn the gyoza so you can flip them regularly to check on their progress. When they are completely reheated serve them and eat while hot.
Reheat gyoza using a toaster oven
NB: this is also another great option if you would love to preserve the crispiness of the gyoza.
Step 1
Preheat the toaster oven to 400F. Then take a sheet of aluminium foil and line it inside the toaster oven. The aluminium foil will help to catch some of that oil that will be coming out of the gyoza during the reheating process.
Step 2
Take the gyoza and place it on top of the aluminium foil with the grilled surface facing upwards. Reheat the gyoza for 5 minutes in the toaster oven. Make sure you do not exceed this time since the gyoza will start burning.
Reheat gyoza using a microwave
NB: this is not a commonly recommended method although it can be used to reheat gyoza. Just be careful when using this method since it does not do a good job in terms of retaining the crispiness of the gyoza.
Step 1
Place the gyoza in a microwave safe dish or bowl. Cover the bowl with a wet cloth to prevent the gyoza from turning soggy.
Step 2
Place the gyoza in the microwave and reheat them up for about 1 minute. Take them out and check if they are warm enough to eat. If not, reheat them for an additional 30 seconds. However, when using this method it is important to remember that the gyoza won’t be crispy since the texture would have been compromised by the high radiation found in the microwave.
How to store cooked gyoza
If you have the aim of eating the gyoza within a few days then you can put it in the refrigerator. But if you want to consume it after some time then the freezer is the best place. However, gyoza that is stored in the freezer is very hard to reheat since it usually loses its crispy texture and becomes too soggy such that you won’t enjoy them when reheated. Always remember to store the gyoza in an air tight container so that moisture doesn’t affect the gyoza. If moisture enters they will end up soggy.
Serving suggestions for reheated gyoza
In order to enjoy your leftover gyoza try serving them with a dipping sauce. The dipping sauce that you can use is made using a combination of soy sauce, rice vinegar and la-yu which is a Japanese type of chilli oil. Although you will notice that the recipes for gyoza require you to use a particular filling you can always experiment and play around with the ingredients to make your own distinct filling.
