Mandu Recipes

MANDU (KOREAN DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Prepare to assemble the Mandu: Sprinkle a large tray or sheet pan with a little flour. This will prevent the Mandu from sticking. Fill a small bowl with water, which will be used to seal the Mandu wrapper.
• Cook the Mandu: To pan fry the Mandu , heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the vegetable oil and as many Mandu as you can fit without overlapping. You will have to cook them in batches. Cook them for 1 to 2 minutes, until the bottoms are golden brown. Flip them, carefully add a splash of water to the pan, and cover it immediately with a lid. Reduce the heat to low and cook them for about 4 minutes. The steam will help the Mandu cook through but cut one in half to make sure.

MANDU

Steps:

• Set a fine-mesh sieve over a medium-size bowl. Quarter the block of tofu, and place in the strainer. Cover with a bowl, and place 1 or 2 canned goods in the bowl to weigh it down. Set aside for 1 hour to press water from tofu.
• Place the bean sprouts in a medium bowl. Season with 1 teaspoon salt. Toss to combine. Set aside for 1 hour.
• Line four baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot, and season with 1 tablespoon salt. Blanch the watercress for 10 seconds. Spread out onto one of the baking sheets in a single layer, and allow to cool, then squeeze out any excess water, and chop finely.
• Squeeze out the tofu to remove any excess liquid, then crumble finely into a large bowl. Squeeze out bean sprouts, chop finely, then add to tofu. Add watercress, pork, kimchi, garlic, ginger, scallion whites, garlic chives, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper, mirin and 1 teaspoon salt. Use your hands to combine the mixture vigorously for about 90 seconds, until the pork becomes tacky and sticks to your palm.
• Preheat a small frying pan, and add 1 teaspoon neutral-tasting oil. Make a thin, silver-dollar-size patty of filling and cook it through on both sides. Taste and adjust salt, garlic, ginger and soy as needed. The filling should be pleasantly savory.
• Lightly dust remaining baking sheets with flour. Fill a small bowl or spray bottle with cool water.
• Place a wrapper in the palm of your hand and spoon in 2 teaspoons or so of filling. Lightly spray or brush water onto the edges of the wrapper, then fold the edges over to seal, squeezing out air bubbles as you go. If using square wrappers, fold corner to corner to form a triangle. (You could stop here, if you like.) Holding the dumpling in one hand, use the index finger of your other to gently poke an indent into the center of its base (the bottom of the filling). Folding the dumpling around the indent, draw both of its bottom corners together to form a fortune-cookie shape. Overlap the corners and press to seal them together. Place onto floured tray in a single layer. Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers.
• Alternate version: To form cigar-shaped dumplings, spread 2 teaspoons filling in a line along the center of a square wrapper, then roll wrapper around the filling, leaving the last 1/2 inch of the wrapper unrolled. Pinch the ends of the dumpling to seal. Connect five cigars by nestling each onto the unrolled edge of the previous one and pressing to adhere. Carefully lift and place onto floured tray.
• At this point, dumplings can be cooked or frozen. To freeze, freeze in a single layer until solid, then pack into zip-sealed freezer bags. Freeze for up to 2 months.
• If using bamboo steamer, fill a pot with same dimensions as basket with 2 inches of water. Bring water to a simmer. Cover steamer and set atop pot. If using a metal steamer insert, set inside large pot, and add water just until it starts to come through the bottom of the insert. Cover pot, and bring to a simmer. Steam for 7 minutes until dough is tender. Serve hot.
• To steam-fry the dumplings, set a cast-iron or nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add just enough oil to coat the bottom, then carefully place a single layer of dumplings into the pan. Fry until bottoms are golden brown, about 4 minutes, then carefully add about 1/4 cup water to the pan and cover. Steam for 3 minutes until dough is tender and the water has evaporated. Serve hot with soy dipping sauce.

KOREAN DUMPLINGS: MANDU

Steps:

• Heat wok over medium-high heat, add 2 ounces of oil and stir-fry meat until brown, mashing with a fork to break into small pieces. Drain off fat and set meat aside. Wash pan and dry thoroughly.
• Heat 1 ounce of oil over high heat for 1 minute. Add onions and saute for 2 to 3 minutes or until limp.
• Add cabbage and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for another 2 to 3 minutes or until cabbage is crisp-tender.
• Add bean sprouts, scallions, and tofu, mix well and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.
• Remove pan from heat and pour cooked mixture into a colander to drain excess liquid.
• In a large bowl, combine meat, vegetables, hoisin, salt, and pepper and mix well.
• Place 1 wonton skin on a flat surface. Cover remaining skins with a slightly damp kitchen towel (not terry cloth) so they won't dry out. Brush the edges of skin with a beaten egg. Place about 1 teaspoon of filling mixture just above the center of skin. Fold skin in half over filling to form a triangle and press edges together to seal. Repeat with remaining skins.
• Fill and preheat fryer to 375 degrees F. and deep-fry dumplings until golden brown. Serve immediately with vinegar-soy dipping sauce.
• For vinegar-soy sauce: Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Stir to dissolve sugar.

DANIEL'S MANDU RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Place the tofu in a small bowl lined with paper towels. Top with another paper towel and a bowl filled water for weight. Let sit for 15 minutes to extract some moisture from the tofu.
• Crumble the tofu into small pieces in a large bowl. Add the pork, beef, scallions, onion, kimchi, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands.
• In a small bowl, combine the egg and water.
• Put two teaspoons of filling in the middle of a dumpling wrapper. Using your finger, wet half of the outer rim of the wrapper with the egg and water mixture.
• Fold the wrapper in half. Using your fingertips, start make pleats to seal the mandu. Repeat with the rest of the wrappers and filling.
• Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Once boiling, add 6-7 mandu at a time. Once the mandu start floating on the surface, boil for another 1-2 minutes. Remove the mandu from the water with a spider or slotted spoon and repeat with the rest of the dumplings.
• Serve with dipping sauce.
• Enjoy!