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Mandu (Dumplings)
Korean dumplings — a seasoned filling of pork, tofu, bean sprouts, and kimchi folded into wrappers, then steamed, pan-fried, or boiled. Dipped in soy-vinegar; a family favorite for holidays and any day.
Ingredients
- Dumpling wrappers · store-bought or homemade30
- Filling
- Ground pork200 g
- Tofu · mashed, squeezed dry150 g
- Bean sprouts · blanched, chopped, squeezed1 handful
- Sour kimchi · chopped, squeezed, optional0.5 cup
- Glass noodles · soaked, cooked, chopped, optional0.5 handful
- Scallion & garlic chives · chopped0.5 handful
- Seasoning
- Minced garlic1 tbsp
- Soy sauce1 tbsp
- Sesame oil1 tbsp
- Salt & pepper · a pinch
- Dipping sauce
- Soy sauce2 tbsp
- Vinegar1 tbsp
- Gochugaru · optional0.5 tsp
Steps
- ⏲ 5 min
Mash the tofu and wring it dry in a cloth; blanch, chop, and squeeze the bean sprouts. Finely chop the kimchi, glass noodles, and scallion.
- ⏲ 3 min
In a bowl, mix the ground pork with all the filling ingredients and seasoning (garlic, soy, sesame oil, salt, pepper) and knead until sticky.
- ⏲ 10 min
Put a spoon of filling in the center of each wrapper, wet the edge, fold in half, and pleat to seal tightly.
- ⏲ 11 min
Steamed: Steam over a damp cloth for 10-12 minutes.
- ⏲ 8 min
Pan-fried (gun-mandu): Crisp the bottoms in oil, then add 2-3 tbsp water and cover to steam through, then crisp again as the water cooks off.
Serve hot with the soy-vinegar dipping sauce.
Tips & Variations
Variations
- Mul-mandu (boiled): Boil until they float, for a light version.
- Kimchi mandu: Loaded with sour kimchi for a tangy kick.
- Meat mandu: No kimchi — pork, tofu, and vegetables.
- Mandu-guk: Simmered in broth with rice cake.
- Wang-mandu: Made big and hearty.
Tips
- Wringing the filling dry is key — squeeze the tofu, sprouts, and kimchi so the dumplings don't burst or turn soggy.
- Knead the filling until sticky so it holds together when cooked.
- Wet the wrapper edge so it seals tightly; press out the air.
- For pan-fried: fry → add water + lid (steam) → crisp again as it dries — that order is the trick.
- Make a big batch and freeze — cook them straight from frozen.
The basics behind this dish
- Dough and Gluten: When to Build It and When to Avoid ItThe same flour and water becomes a dumpling wrapper or a tender pancake. The difference is whether you built gluten or avoided it — and kneading and resting do different jobs.
- Freezing and Thawing Without Wrecking the TextureTexture damage from freezing comes down to ice crystal size. Freeze fast, exclude air, thaw in the fridge, and most of the problem disappears.
- Choosing Flour: Protein Is the Whole StoryBread, plain and cake flour differ in one number: protein. What that number decides, how to fake one from another, and the things sold beside flour that are not flour at all.
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