Hands-On Gyoza Workshop

This week, students from our Japan Club were treated to a truly special cultural experience as they rolled up their sleeves to create traditional Japanese dumplings, known as gyoza, with the expert help of our wonderful catering team, Cucina.

The session began with each student being given their own piece of dough, a rolling pin, and a choice of meat or vegetarian fillings. Jamie, Head Chef in our school restaurant, led the workshop and expertly demonstrated how to roll the dough, add the filling, and crimp the dumplings into their classic shape. Students eagerly followed along, learning new culinary skills and taking great pride in crafting their own gyoza.

As well as the practical cooking element, students also learnt some Japanese words and discovered more about the cultural background of gyoza, including that these nutritious and much-loved dumplings are enjoyed year-round and originally came from China.

The students were full of enthusiasm about the experience. Claudia shared, “It was really fun. The instructions were really clear. My Mum loved them, we’re going to try and make more at the weekend.” Ronin added, “I haven’t made dumplings before so I enjoyed that. They were good. Next time I need to fry them a little bit longer for extra crunchiness.”

Staff also joined in the fun, with Mr Watts joking, “My gyozilla, the taste of a gyoza, the size of a Cornish pasty, was delicious. It was Dulux, I mean delux!”

At the end of the session, students were given boxes to take their finished dumplings home to share with family, along with a goody bag of Japanese-inspired food items as a special treat. Students who would like to recreate the experience at home can find the recipes used during the workshop below:

RECIPE

Emily kindly sent in a photo of her gyozas.

Our sincere thanks go to Jamie and the entire Cucina team for delivering such an engaging and generous workshop, and to Mr Greaves and Miss King, who run the Japan Club ECA, for continuing to provide exciting cultural opportunities for our students.

Students who would like to take part in this vibrant and welcoming club are warmly invited to join Japan Club every Monday in room T13 from 3.15 to 4.15pm. We look forward to seeing many more students come along to join the fun!