My first encounter with Hanetsuki-style gyoza was at Din Tai Fung, a Taiwanese restaurant franchise. They arrived in a beautiful, crisp rectangle, begging to be snapped apart and devoured. Biting in, their crisp exterior gave way to juicy pork within. I have dreamed of these gyoza ever since. As it turns out, Hanetsuki (meaning “with feathers”) gyoza are actually quite simple to make. Add Pinot Noir, a delicious wine pairing for gyoza, and you’ll be in flavor heaven.
A few tips for making Hanetsuki gyoza:
- Nonstick pan or bust! The thin, lattice-like crisp is extremely delicate. It will stick to anything but a nonstick pan.
- I personally prefer a crunchier, more chip-like crust. However, for a thinner, more delicate crisp, you can swap out some of the all-purpose flour for more corn or potato starch.
- Frozen gyoza is totally fine! You don’t need to make everything from scratch. This will save you time and let you practice making the lacy crisp.
The Wine Pairing
Pinot Noir is my favorite wine to pair with gyoza, and dumplings in general. The earthy soy sauce and shiitake mushrooms match the umami notes in Pinot Noir. And the pork and cabbage filling is mild enough to let Pinot Noir’s delicate aromatics shine. Finally, with its light tannins and bright acidity, Pinot Noir is incredibly refreshing against the smoky, seared gyoza and its crispy wings.
For this particular pairing, I chose the ShunYi Cellars Pinot Noir. This bottling is sourced from California’s Santa Rita Hills, whose cool climate bestows vibrant acidity upon its wines. It has elegant aromatics of red cherry, raspberry, hibiscus petal, vanilla, and cinnamon. With its mix of earthy fruit, velvety tannins, and cleansing acidity, every sip is like another sauce for the gyoza.
The one pairing caveat: if you’re using frozen dumplings, watch out for the sugar content. Traditional gyoza recipes do not involve sugar. However, I find that when I buy frozen versions, they sometimes end up being unusually sweet. If you have a bag of sweet dumplings on your hands, opt for a Riesling instead.
Crispy Hanetsuki (Winged) Gyoza Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 frozen or pre-made gyoza
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- ½ cup water
- 2 tsp flour
- 1 tsp corn starch
- Sesame oil
Instructions
- Heat the oil in the pan. Then, add gyoza and cook on medium-low heat until the bottoms are lightly browned.
- While the gyoza is cooking, mix the starch slurry ingredients (water, flour, corn starch).
- Add the slurry to the pan. Cover with a lid and simmer on medium-low heat for 6-8 minutes.
- Remove the lid and let the remaining liquid evaporate. By now, the lattice should be dried up enough that the edges have peeled away from the pan, and it moves collectively. If it is still stuck to the pan, it most likely still has excess moisture and is not done cooking.
- Put a plate above the pan, and carefully flip it over so that the gyoza is on the plate.
- Enjoy with soy sauce and Pinot Noir (we used Shunyi Cellars Pinot Noir in our pairing)!
Enjoyed this wine pairing with gyoza? Check out our other wine pairings with Asian cuisine here!