Shumai vs Gyoza Differences
This post may contain affiliate links.Shumai vs Gyoza? Do you love Asian dumplings? Do you know the difference between these two popular dumplings? These two are very delicious, I know. But you need to know the difference between these two, so you understand them better.
People enjoy eating Asian dumplings without knowing the difference. They are different from the origin, appearance, taste, preparations, and cooking methods.
Shumai comes from Guangdong province in China. It has a round, cylindrical shape. Gyoza comes from Japan, is crescent-shaped.
Let’s find out the difference!
What is Shumai?
Shumai also goes by the name siu mai or siomai. You can easily find shumai in dim sum restaurants. It is steamed dumpling with ground pork and shrimp inside.
It is usually served as side dish or snack because of its small size.
Even though Japan also has their own shumai version, shumai from China is different in the filling. Chinese Shumai has some vegetables inside.
What is Gyoza?
Gyoza is Japanese dumplings with ground meat and vegetables fillings. China also has their own gyoza version, called potstickers or 鍋貼guo tie.
Japanese gyoza was inspired by Chinese potstickers dating from the Second World War time in China. The Japanese soldiers recooked Chinese potstickers when they were back in Japan, which later was called gyoza.
What is the Difference?
Gyoza and Shumai are under the big umbrella of dumplings. The first difference is in the filling. Gyoza has chopped vegetables inside, while Shumai has ground meat and shrimp, sometimes chopped mushrooms with no vegetables.
The second difference is the wrapper. Gyoza is wrapped and sealed, so you can’t see the filling, while Shumai has an opening on top, decorated with salmon egg or carrot shreds.
Furthermore, the third difference is the cooking method. The cooking method is different. Gyoza is pan-fried to get the crispy texture and also water bathed to get a soft texture in the wrapper, while shumai is steamed.
Origin
As mentioned above, Shumai is originally from China. In the 20th century, shumai was popularized in Guanggong province in China. It was first sold as street food.
Gyoza is a type of dumpling recreated by Japanese soldiers after they had tried Chinese potstickers during the Second World War. They were inspired by jiao zi in China.
Types of Shumai and Gyoza
Shumai
There are many types of Shumai. The most common ones is the Mongolian Shumai that you can see in dim sum restaurants. You can have a peak at the filling on top, which features ground pork, shrimp, mushrooms.
The Philipines also love shumai. It is called siomai. They mix siomai with carrots and peas and fry them until golden brown. It is usually served with chili garlic oil and soy sauce.
Indonesians’ version of Shumai is another delicious thing. It is called siomay. The filling is mixed with fish and shrimps. It is steamed and served with peanut chili sauce, sweet soy sauce, and tomato ketchup.
The Cantonese version of shumai is another common shumai you can see in dim sum restaurants. They call it siu mai.
It is filled with minced pork, shrimps, and shitake mushrooms, decorated with carrots, peas, or fish eggs.
Gyoza
Gyoza has many different types in Japan. Yaki Gyoza is the most common one you can find in Japan. Its cooking method is the same as potstickers. They fry them first and steam them with water bath.
Mushi Gyoza is a different kind of dumpling, cooked in a bamboo steamer.
Age Gyoza is almost the same as Yaki Gyoza but it has more crispy texture because it doesn’t use the water bath. It is simply deep-fried.
Sui Gyoza is the cooked dumplings in water or soup.
Ingredients
Shumai is made using a thin wrapper, sometimes the color is yellow or cream. The filling can be varied from minced pork, chicken, beef, fish, shrimps, shitake mushrooms. The top is usually decorated with carrot shreds, peas or fish eggs.
Gyoza also uses thin wrapper, the color is usually cream. It is filled with minced pork or chicken, shrimps, spring onion, cabbages, and ginger. The crunchy veggies add a crispy texture in the filling.
Appearance
Shumai is opened on top, so you can have a peak at the filling. It is decorated with carrot shreds, peas or fish eggs. The shape is cylindrical and the color is sometimes yellow or cream depending on the wrapper.
Gyoza takes the shape of half-moon, and the edges are sealed to secure the filling inside. The bottom part of gyoza is flat.
Flavor
Shumai owes the rich flavors to the ingredients used like ground pork, shrimps, and shitake mushrooms. The addition of soy sauce and oyster sauce gives the perfect combination.
Gyoza on the other hand has milder flavor with the addition of crispy napa cabbage. It is still tasty and very delicious, though.
Texture
Shumai is chewy with all the meat inside. Even if you add mushrooms, the texture is still soft and chewy.
Gyoza has crispy texture inside and out. The crispy texture comes from the napa cabbage and the wrapper which is pan-fried.
Cooking Method
Shumai uses bamboo steamer. It takes 8- 10 minutes to cook it depending on the size of the shumai.
Gyoza uses pan-fried and water-bath method. These two gives out a crispy texture and also soft on half of the wrapper.
Which one is healthier?
If you compare the health aspect of shumai vs gyoza, you need to look at the cooking method. You will choose Shumai for it has better cooking method. Gyoza uses pan-frying.
We all know that steaming method is healthier than pan-frying method. Pan frying will use oil for sure, while steaming uses very little oil if needed to prevent the Siu Mai from sticking to each other.
But if you look at the ingredients, Shumai has more meat inside. Gyoza has more fiber with napa cabbage in it.
To answer your question of which is healthier between shumai vs gyoza, it depends on what you are looking for in the type of dumpling. If you look for more veggies, you will think of Gyoza as healthier option. But if you only concern of the cooking method, you will definitely vote Shumai as the healthier option.
Here is the recipe for Shumai, Gyoza, and Wonton so that you can also try them at your home and maybe now you can decide between shumai vs gyoza.
Happy Eating!
If you find any differences between Shumai vs Gyoza that is not mentioned here, you can write a comment down below or tag me on my Instagram!
