[Explanation of how to bake! ] How to freeze gyoza, storage period, and arranged recipes

When making homemade gyoza, you may end up with leftover filling, skin, or the gyoza itself.

By knowing the best way to freeze food, you can use frozen ingredients conveniently and deliciously.

We'll introduce a variety of ideas, such as how to easily eat frozen gyoza as fried gyoza whenever you like, or try other arranged menus using gyoza, skin, and filling.

Advantages of freezing gyoza

It saves time

To make gyoza, you need to make the filling (chop cabbage and chives, season the minced meat and mix together), and carefully wrap each dumpling in a wrapper.

If you want to eat it right away, you can freeze it and store it.

Frozen dumplings do not need to be thawed before cooking. You can cook food while frozen, making it easier and faster to prepare.

Easy to arrange and convenient to use

You can freely arrange the gyoza.
It is characterized by the many ways it can be used, such as fried gyoza, grilled gyoza, and boiled gyoza (used in soup).

Even if you decide to freeze large quantities of gyoza, you can enjoy them in a variety of ways, making frozen gyoza a reliable ally for housewives.

How to freeze gyoza

Here we will introduce three ways to freeze gyoza.
■Condition before baking
■Leftover bean paste
■Excess skin
There are 3 patterns.

How to freeze gyoza before baking

1) Arrange the gyoza on a metal bat sprinkled with flour or potato starch and place in the freezer.

2) Once the gyoza is frozen, place the gyoza with the flour still attached in an airtight container (Ziploc, Tupperware, etc.), remove as much air as possible, and then store in the freezer again.

The reason why you store the dumplings with the flour on them is that when baking, the flour dissolves in the steaming water and becomes the wings of the dumplings, giving them a crispy finish.

・The secret to keeping gyoza from sticking together
Thoroughly flouring will prevent the dumplings from sticking to each other and the metal (such as aluminum) tray.

Gyoza skins tear easily when wrapped with ingredients.

If the skin is torn, the meat juices and other flavor will escape during grilling.

Make sure to dust it with flour.

How to freeze gyoza filling

1) Divide the bean paste into single-use portions and place them in a sealed container (Ziploc, Tupperware, etc.) with as much air removed as possible.
2) Put it on a metal tray and put it in the freezer.
3) Once frozen, you can remove the metal vat.

・Recommended points

As shown in the photo, if you put it in a storage bag and lightly touch it with a knife to make a "streak", you can separate it into the desired amount even after freezing.

How to freeze gyoza wrappers

Both store-bought and homemade dumpling wrappers can be frozen using the same method.
Gyoza wrappers tend to stick together easily, dry easily, and break easily, so we recommend that you take the extra time to make them.
1) Place every other gyoza skin between plastic wrap or cooking paper.
This is to prevent the skin from sticking together when thawed.

2) Wrap 1) in plastic wrap, put it in a sealable container, remove as much air as possible, place it on a metal tray, and put it in the freezer. If you can freeze it, trays are fine.

*When defrosting, please let it thaw naturally as much as possible. Just move it to the refrigerator the day before you use it. Thawing slowly will prevent it from becoming sticky and sticking together.
　　
・Points to avoid losing flavor when frozen
- Metal bats have good thermal conductivity, allowing heat to quickly escape from the material.
Therefore, it can be frozen more quickly and retains its deliciousness.
・Transferring to a sealed container is to prevent deterioration such as oxidation due to exposure to air.

Storage period of gyoza

Storage period of gyoza before baking

・For refrigerated storage Approximately 1 day
If you don't plan to bake it right away, squeeze out the water to reduce the moisture in the ingredients. (For example, rub the cabbage with salt and squeeze it.)

・ About 1 month if frozen
It can be stored for up to a month, but the sooner you eat it, the better it will cook and the taste will remain the same as before.

Storage period of gyoza filling

・If refrigerated Approximately 1 day
Even when stored in the refrigerator, foods that contain meat and vegetables are highly perishable. Freezing is recommended for preservation.

・ About 1 month if frozen

Storage period of gyoza wrappers

-Approximately 3 days if refrigerated (commercially available ones have been opened)

・In case of frozen About 1 month
If you get freezer burn, the food will become sticky when thawed, making it difficult to use. To avoid this, we recommend cooking early.

How to make delicious frozen gyoza

The key to cooking frozen gyoza is to keep it frozen. This is because gyoza is wrapped in red bean paste, so it looks like this:
・The skin of thawed gyoza will break due to the moisture in the filling even with the slightest force.
・Since the bean paste contains meat and vegetables and is easily damaged, it is dangerous to heat it to medium temperature.

By cooking it from frozen, you can eat it without this problem.

How to bake frozen gyoza

1) Arrange the frozen gyoza in an oiled frying pan.

2) Heat the frying pan and once it gets warm, add more water than you normally would for gyoza.
3) Close the lid and steam for longer than usual.
4) When the water dries up, remove the lid and let the water evaporate, and when it's browned, it's done.

How to bake gyoza with wings

When you order gyoza at a restaurant (such as a ramen shop), the gyoza may come out with thin, crispy wings around it. It has a crispy texture that whets the appetite.

Even when baking gyoza at home, you can make ``feathered gyoza'' with just a little extra effort, so I'll show you how.

1) Make water-soluble flour or water-soluble potato starch.
Depending on your preference, you can make wings with 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour per 200ml.

2) Use 1) for steaming water when baking gyoza.

The key is to stir up the settled powder before adding it to the frying pan.
Be sure to remember it, as it will sink quickly.
3) Once the moisture has evaporated, brown as usual and place on a plate.

When removing the gyoza from the frying pan, remove the wings one row at a time while cutting off the wings with a spatula.
By `` arranging the items neatly'' in the first step, you can arrange them neatly.

5 frozen gyoza recipes

Vegetable soup made with leftover or frozen dumplings

How about using frozen gyoza as an ingredient in your regular soup? It goes well with any soup, so give it a try. You can also add it to miso soup.

☑材料（2人分）
冷凍餃子8個
玉ねぎ　半分
大根　お好み
白ネギ　1/2本
しめじ　1/4
ベーコン　あればお好みで
（調味料）
鶏ガラスープの素　大さじ2
醤油　少々
塩　ひとつまみ
ごま油 大さじ1

<How to make>
1) Boil the daikon radish in water. Once it boils, add all the ingredients except the gyoza to the pot.
2) Once 1) is cooked, add seasonings to taste.
Please adjust the amount of chicken stock according to the amount of water.
3) Adjust the taste and add the gyoza to 2).
Place the dumplings in the pot while still frozen, and try not to poke them with chopsticks.
4) Once the gyoza is thawed and cooked through, it's done.

Mapo tofu with frozen gyoza

This is an innovative recipe that involves breaking the dumplings and cooking them! Please also consider ways to save time.

☑材料 （3~4人分）
絹ごし豆腐１丁
冷凍餃子4、５個　生餃子でもOK
椎茸　１コ
長ネギ　適量
豆板醤　 小さじ1~2
ニンニク・生姜(チューブ)　各小さじ1/3
★ 鶏ガラスープ　300ml
★酒　大さじ１
★醤油　大さじ１
★ 砂糖　小さじ１
★ 味噌　大さじ１　甜面醤に変えてピリ辛に仕上げてもOK
片栗粉 適量
ゴマ油 大１

<How to make>
1) Roughly chop the shiitake mushrooms and green onions. Cut the tofu into approximately 2cm pieces. Place the cut ingredients in a pot, add enough water to cover them, and turn on the heat. When it boils, drain it in a colander.
2) Mix together the ★ ingredients to make a seasoning mixture.
Put sesame oil in a frying pan, add green onion, bean sauce, garlic, and ginger and heat.
3) Add ★ when the scent comes out. Once it boils, lower the heat a little and add the frozen dumplings to the pan.
4) Add shiitake mushrooms to 3). Once the gyoza is cooked through, break it up so that the inside of the gyoza comes out.
5) Add tofu to step 4) and boil again, then add potato starch dissolved in water to thicken.
6) Once it thickens, add the fragrant sesame oil.
Finish by scattering green onions in a bowl.

Crispy cheese wings with frozen gyoza

Wings are wings, but these wings are not only crispy, but also have the flavor of cheese. This is an arrangement that children will enjoy. It's also good as a snack!

☑材料
冷凍餃子　好きなだけ
チーズ（とろけるものなら何でも可）　好きなだけ
油 適量
水　適量

<How to make>
1) Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the frozen gyoza. Once it's browned, add water to the frying pan, cover, and steam-fry.
2) Once the water has evaporated, sprinkle cheese around the gyoza and bake until the cheese becomes crispy.
If the heat is too high, it will easily burn, so keep an eye on it as you heat it.

Chinese-style sauce using frozen boiled dumplings

Just by adding the thick bean paste, the atmosphere changes dramatically. I also like that it's an easy arrangement.

☑材料 （2人分）
冷凍水餃子　約10個
青葱か万能葱　2本
人参　1/4本
生姜細切り　少々
鶏がらスープの素　大さじ1
水　200cc
醤油　大さじ1
酒　大さじ1
みりん 大さじ1
酢　小さじ1
水溶き片栗粉　（水大さじ2と片栗粉小さじ1を加えたもの）
ごま油(仕上げ用) 少々

<How to make>
1) Heat sesame oil in a frying pan and fry the shredded carrots over high heat. When the heat goes through, add the finely chopped ginger to add flavor.
2) Add chicken stock and water to 1). When it boils, add the frozen gyoza and heat through.
3) Season 2) with soy sauce, sake, and mirin, and add green onions or green onions.
4) Pour in the water-soluble potato starch to thicken it, then sprinkle with vinegar and sesame oil and it's done.

Fried grilled cheese nuggets with leftover gyoza filling

You can turn leftover gyoza filling into frozen nuggets that are easy to use in lunch boxes.

☑材料
〇餃子の餡　ある分量
〇片栗粉　 餡100gに対して小さじ1
〇ピザ用チーズ　餡100gに対して20g
薄力粉　適量
サラダ油　適量

<How to make>
1) Mix 〇 thoroughly in a bowl.
Prepare flour for batter in a vat etc.
2) Add salad oil to a frying pan and warm it over low heat.
3) Using wet hands, shape the gyoza filling into an appropriate size, coat both sides with flour, then fry in a frying pan.
4) Once it's browned, turn it over, cover with a lid, and cook on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
5) Remove the lid and it is done when both sides are well browned.

Conclusion

What did you think?

The methods for freezing and thawing dumplings were simple and easy to implement.
Some of you may be surprised to know that you can make ``feather dumplings'' that are as good as a professional's in one effort.

However, if you know how to make use of leftover dumplings and other ingredients, or if you can use them in an arranged menu, the range of dishes you can cook will expand greatly.
Please use this article as a reference to make the best use of gyoza, gyoza fillings, and wrappers.

Frozen dumplings are very easy to use and convenient, so I recommend thinking about how much to freeze when making them.