Dumpling Meatballs Give You All The Wonders Of Gyoza With Less Hassle

We love gyoza. These little wonton-wrapped bites are crispy, flavorful, and versatile as they can be filled with many different fillings, including veggies and meat. They are also perfect as appetizers, snacks, and everything in between. However, what we don't always love about gyozas is making them. The wonton wrappers are so thin that tucking the filling in without breaking them never really pans out. Plus, you have to wet the edges, fill them, and seal them individually, meaning your "quick" appetizer can turn into an hours-long affair. However, the internet — as it usually does — has a solution: dumpling meatballs. 

Instead of packing the individual wonton wrappers by hand, you can just shape the filling into balls as you would meatballs, before plopping them into a skillet (we prefer a cast iron skillet) to get the perfect crust on the outside. Then drape each filling ball with a square wonton wrapper, gently tapering the bottoms so that they're nestled around the balls like little ghosts cloaked in sheets. Add a drizzle of oil on top, pour some water into the skillet, and put a lid on the pan so that the wrapper steams and softens. While this hack means that the wonton wrapper won't encase the entire ball, it's so much easier than having to wrap your wontons by hand — a worthy payoff, if you ask us. 

The nice thing about this hack (did we mention time saved?) is that you can use it for virtually any potsticker recipe — so long as your filling can stay together in a spherical shape. In true meatball form, fillings with a pork, beef, chicken, or turkey base work well, as they offer a juicy bite contrasted with the soft, silky wonton wrapper. However, you can also try this hack with tofu balls; they might not crisp up as much as meat, but they are delicious nonetheless. Plant-based grounds (think: Impossible or Beyond Meat) can also give you a similar mouthfeel without the animal products.

Regardless of what protein you use, for restaurant-worthy gyoza, be sure to season your filling well. Wonton wrappers don't have much flavor, so bold and flavorful ingredients like soy sauce, sesame oil, chives, and the like are going to come in handy. Finishing with a drizzle of chili crisp or chili oil on top doesn't hurt, either. And, since you won't have to allocate as much time to shaping and stuffing your gyoza, you can also dedicate more energy to crafting a savory sauce to serve with your dumpling meatballs. Stick to plain soy or enhance yours with sesame oil, hoisin sauce, and more. 

It's important to note that because the wonton wrappers aren't completely secure, try to serve your sauce in a shallow dish so that you don't have to worry about chasing your meatballs (or their wonton cloak) around the sauce dish.