Gyoza wrappers substitutes

Square wheat-and-egg skins, thinner than gyoza wrappers and dusted with cornstarch.

Best for

pan-fried gyoza and potstickers, steamed dumplings, dumplings in soup

The thinness is the trade. They crisp harder and faster in the pan, which is lovely, but they tear more easily when you pleat and they can go translucent and fragile if the filling is wet. Work quickly, use slightly less filling than usual, and take them off the heat a minute earlier. Fold as a triangle or a pinched square parcel, or stack four and cut rounds with a glass. The egg gives a marginally richer, more pasta-like flavour.

Thick square wheat sheets from the refrigerated case, cut down with a 3.5 inch cutter or the rim of a mug.

Best for

potstickers, pan-fried dumplings, big hearty dumplings

Sturdy and forgiving, which makes them good for a first attempt, but noticeably doughier. A dumpling made from them is chewy and bready rather than tender, and the pleated top can stay stubbornly raw and pasty, so add two to three extra minutes to the covered steaming stage and use a splash more water. Roll the offcuts and re-cut rather than wasting them.

The correct answer if you have no wrappers at all and a filling already made, and it is much easier than it sounds.

Best for

gyoza, potstickers, jiaozi, steamed dumplings

Hot water is the trick: it partly gelatinises the starch and slackens the gluten, giving a soft dough that rolls thin without snapping back. Mix with a spoon, knead three minutes once it is cool enough to handle, then rest covered for 30 minutes. Roll a log, cut into cherry-sized pieces, and roll each into a disc thinner at the edges. Texture is better than any packet wrapper: chewier, more tender, and no cornstarch dust.

The gluten-free option, softened for a few seconds in warm water.

Best for

gluten-free steamed dumplings, fresh non-fried parcels

Be realistic about this one. Rice paper is sticky rather than silky, welds itself to the steamer and to other dumplings, and cannot hold a pleat, so you get a rough parcel rather than a neat crescent. It also will not produce a proper crisp base; in a hot oiled pan it blisters and then quickly turns chewy and gluey. Dip briefly, line the steamer with baking paper or cabbage leaves, and eat immediately.

Fresh egg pasta rolled thin, or no-boil lasagne sheets soaked in warm water until flexible.

Best for

boiled dumplings, ravioli-style dishes, dumplings in broth

Treat these as ravioli rather than gyoza. The dough is thicker, wheatier and firmer, it needs a rolling boil for four to five minutes, and it does not pan-fry into the thin crisp skirt that makes a potsticker a potsticker. It will not sit in the fridge raw either, because the filling moisture softens the pasta. Flour the rounds well or they fuse.

The honest fallback when there is no usable wrapper in the house and the filling is already mixed.

Best for

using up dumpling filling, low-carb or gluten-free eating

Roll the filling into small flattened patties, dust them lightly with cornstarch, and pan-fry three to four minutes a side until browned through. You lose the whole point of a dumpling, the contrast between chewy skin and juicy filling, and you lose the juices the wrapper normally traps, so keep them small and serve with the dipping sauce you were going to use anyway. It is a good dinner; it is not gyoza.