The pros: Â Trader Joe's Thai Shrimp Gyoza has more in common with a spring roll. If you enjoy a spring roll, then you will likely enjoy this.
The cons: This was disappointing. I was anticipating some heat with this. There was no heat in the product whatsoever. Although the directions say you can microwave these, it should be avoided.
The verdict: Â When I go to my favorite Japanese restaurant, gyoza is always my appetizer of choice. However, like all things when going out, you are paying a premium. For $4.79 you are getting about 15 dumplings which is about three times the number of dumplings you could hope for in an appetizer. Unfortunately, this bag did not exactly make me want to replace my typical order.
Now, on the taste front, it wasn't bad. Sadly, when I think of Thai food, I think of freshness and heat. While the center of this reminded me of a spring roll with its cabbage and green onions, there was no form of heat here whatsoever. It did not remind me of pad thai or anything else Thai at all. That was my greatest disappointment here. I recently tried Trader Joe's Shrimp Spring Rolls and what made the successful was the added sauce. Without the sauce, that product was as bland as can be. Likewise, without my soy dipping sauce, these too are bland as can be. The shrimp was chopped very fine, so it didn't add much on the texture front.
Now, as a point of reference, I've tried other varieties of gyoza, please don't put these in the microwave. They will likely come out rubbery. One of the highlights of having gyoza is the texture of the crisp noodle wrapper and the texture from the filling. If you microwave it, you just won't experience that. Overall, if you put together a killer dipping sauce with this, its shortcomings can be overlooked. Otherwise, I'll pass on buying this again in favor of another variety. If you've tried other varieties of gyoza, then stick with those as there isn't much "Thai" in this other than where they were made.
The bag of Trader Joe's Thai Shrimp Gyoza:
The nutritional information:
The ingredients and how to pan fry these:
How to prepare these other than pan frying:
After being cooked you get:
Would I buy this again? No. This was very bland. When I hear Thai, I think of spice, but this was as bland as Trader Joe's Shrimp Spring Rolls without the sauce.
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for an alphabetized list.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
Natalie says
I steamed a batch of these last night and while I was very pleased with the texture, I’d agree that the flavor was definitely lacking. I also made TJ’s Tempura shrimp last night - the one that comes with too much sauce, we dipped the gyoza into that sauce, paired well! Happy new year!
becomebetty says
Hey Natalie! Glad you stopped by and shared your thoughts on it. Happy New Year to you as well!
Cindy says
My experience was completely different than yours! I LOVED these Trader Joe Thai Shrimp Gyoza. Heat can always be added. Kinda hard to remove it for our Little Ones. Hubby and I opted to add a bit on heat to the dipping sauce, while kids stuck to soy sauce. Will DEFINITELY be a part of our 'forget takeout' nights. Surely will buy again.
becomebetty says
Hey Cindy! Point well taken about the heat. I keep a comments section for this very purpose, to share ideas and opinions regardless of whether they match my own. Thank you so very much for taking the time out of your day to stop by and share!
Bonn Bonn says
I LOVE these and am homebound!!! My neighbor goes to TJ's often and is kind enough to pick me up a few bags everytime she goes there. It's all about the sauce! Make your own peanut sauce and they will rock you to the moon and back!!! YUMMMMY!!! It's 6:33am and I'm already salvating thinking about what I'm having for lunch today... shrimp gyoza's with my own homemade peanut sauce! Don't know how?
Here's my "It's not rocket science" recipe:
•Peanutbutter (add as much as you like to make it strong and peanutbuttery, but start with a spoonful)
•Garlic Chili paste (just a lil dab)
•Sweet Chili Sauce (be generous, maybe a cup)
•Lime Juice (lots of it...fresh if you have limes. Mix into your sauce at the end!)
Mix the 3 top ingredients together first, then after everything is mixed well, add the lime juice. Keep adding the lime juice to taste.
Mmmmmmm
becomebetty says
Hey Bonn Bonn! Glad to hear you are safe and I understand totally how being homebound feels. Thanks for sharing your recipe here.
sandi149 says
I have had these several times and love them. I know there isn't much heat, but I'm glad because I don't like a lot of spice. I have them with the TJ's gyoza dipping sauce. I love your reviews, thank you for posting them!