Description
Crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, these spicy and smoky Korean dumplings pair beautifully with a cold glass of beer or hot sake.
Ingredients
Scale
- 20 dumpling wrappers (small size, 3.5 inches in diameter)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or grapeseed oil
- 3–4 tablespoons water
Filling:
- 6 ounces firm tofu, drained well and minced
- 4 ounces kimchi, finely chopped
- 1 large egg (omit for vegan recipe)
- 4 scallions, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon gochugaru
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients for the filling in a bowl and set aside.
- Transfer the filling to a skillet and cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated. Return the filling to the bowl and set aside.
- Place a wonton wrappers on a work surface.
- Take one wonton wrapper and place in the palm of your hand and scoop about 1 heaping tablespoon of the filling.
- Place the filling in the center of the wrapper and seal the dumpling by wetting the edges with a little water (dip your index finger in water and run it across the edges of the wrapper). Fold the dumpling and gently pinch the edges together (please refer to the photos in the post for a step-by-step tutorial on how to fold dumplings).
- Place the mandu on a plate and repeat until all the dumpling wrappers have been used.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, add vegetable oil and when the oil is hot, carefully place a few mind in a row and another row next to it. Don’t overcrowd the pan! This will lower the temperature of the skillet and make the dumplings mushy. Make sure there’s enough space between each mandu so they can move a little. I usually don’t put more than 10 at a time.
- Add 3 tablespoons of water to the skillet and cover with a lid. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until the bottom of the mandu are golden brown. Flip them over and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, until the other side is golden brown.
- Turn the heat off and transfer the mandu to a plate. Serve with Korean dipping sauce.
Steamed Mandu
- Cover the bamboo steamer with parchment paper or cabbage leaves to prevent the mandu from sticking to the basket.
- Place the mandu in the basket, making sure to leave a little space between each mandu so they don’t stick together while they steam. Cover the steamer with a lid and steam for 7-8 minutes.
- Transfer the mandu to a plate and serve with Korean dipping sauce one of my dumpling sauces.
HOW TO FREEZE UNCOOKED MANDU
If you would like to save some of the mandu you just made for later, place the fresh mandu on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Put in the freezer and when the mandu are completely frozen, transfer them to a storage container or freezer bag. They will keep for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mandu
- Calories: 20
- Sugar: 0.2g
- Sodium: 78.1mg
- Fat: 2.2g
- Saturated Fat: 0.8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 5.2g
- Fiber: 0.4g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 10mg