Mandu
만두
Korean filled dumplings served as snacks, meals, or in soup. Tteok-mandu-guk is associated with Lunar New Year.
About this dish
Korean filled dumplings served as snacks, meals, or in soup. Tteok-mandu-guk is associated with Lunar New Year. The recipe here chooses one named variation from that wider tradition; household fillings, shapes and serving styles may differ.
Recipe
Korean pork, tofu and vegetable mandu
- 40 mandu wrappers
- 250 g ground pork
- 200 g firm tofu
- 150 g mung bean sprouts
- 150 g zucchini, shredded
- 1 small onion (100 g), minced
- 50 g dry sweet potato starch noodles
- 50 g garlic chives, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp neutral oil
Dip
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1
Prepare 250 g ground pork, 200 g firm tofu and the listed vegetables and noodles. Salt zucchini and onion; leave 10 minutes, then squeeze dry. Cook noodles until tender, rinse, drain and chop. Blanch sprouts 1 minute, drain, cool, squeeze and chop. Press tofu very dry and crumble. Follow noodle package cooking time, chop into short lengths and squeeze tofu and vegetables until they do not drip.
- 2
Cook pork with garlic, ginger, soy and pepper until fully cooked; cool. Sauté squeezed zucchini and onion in neutral oil 2 minutes; cool. Cook pork to 71°C/160°F and spread cooked components in shallow dishes to cool promptly.
- 3
Mix cooled pork and vegetables with tofu, noodles, chives and sesame oil. Mix evenly and keep chilled; the filling should mound without releasing liquid.
- 4
Put about 1 tbsp filling in each wrapper, moisten the edge and seal in a crescent. For soup-style rings, bring the crescent tips together and press. Keep wrappers covered, leave a clean border and press air out before sealing fully.
- 5
Dip: 2 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp rice vinegar. Steam in a lined steamer over boiling water 10-12 minutes until skins are tender and centers hot. Serve with mixed dip. Time from steady steam and leave gaps. Check tender skin and reheat chilled cooked filling to 74°C/165°F; mix the dip separately.
Note
This is a cooked-filling mandu variation. Removing water from tofu and vegetables prevents soggy skins; keep the filling refrigerated until assembly.