The first time I had mandu was when I was 25 and traveled to South Korea with my mom to meet her side of the family. It was a hot summer day and we walked from my aunt’s apartment up the street to a tiny shop with 3 tables inside. We sat down and my aunt ordered our dumplings at the counter.
I was fascinated as I watched the people behind the counter roll out the dough, cut the circles for the wrappers, fill and decoratively fold the dumplings. Within a few minutes, they brought several plates of dumplings and various dipping sauces to the table. I was in heaven! Each bite was tender, slightly chewy, and full of flavorful fillings. It was THE BEST!
For years after, whenever I had the chance, I would order mandu at the local restaurants. It wasn’t until I was in my 40’s that I ventured into actually making them. Now that I do, I love it!
Making mandu isn’t difficult, but it does take some time. It’s worth it to make a large batch, so you can cook some and freeze some to enjoy later! The best part? You can customize the fillings to whatever flavors you prefer! One of my new favorites is butternut squash and kale dumplings (You may see that in an upcoming post!). For this post though, I am starting with a traditional pork and shrimp filling. If you don’t want to use pork, ground chicken is an easy substitute.
This is a great recipe to make with a group of people. Time goes a lot faster when everyone is gathered around making dumplings and spending time together.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
How to Make Mandu
- Mix all the ingredients for the dipping sauce. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients for the filling until well combined.
- Set up your dumpling making station. Have a small bowl of water ready and a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- Remove one dumpling wrapper from the package and lay in your palm. Dip your finger into the water and moisten the edges of the wrapper. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of filling into the center of the wrapper.
- Fold the wrapper over the filling and press the wet edges to seal. Place dumpling on the sheet pan. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. (There will be about 40 in a package). Make sure the mandu are spaced far enough apart that they are not touching. Once done, you can prepare the dumplings or freeze them for use later.
To Freeze:
Lightly cover the sheet pan with plastic wrap and place the dumplings in the freezer for at least 4-5 hours. Once frozen, you can transfer them to freezer bags. Dumplings will be good for up to three months in the freezer. Frozen dumplings can be steamed or boiled without thawing.
To Steam:
Fill the bottom 1” of a large pot with water and place the steamer rack inside. Bring to a boil and add dumplings. Make sure they are not touching. Place the lid on the pot and steam for 13-15 minutes. Carefully transfer the dumplings to a dish and serve with dipping sauce.
To Boil:
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Drop dumplings into the water and stir gently to keep them from sticking to the bottom. Boil for 13-15 minutes until they are floating and the filling is cooked through. Transfer to a dish and serve with dipping sauce.
Notes:
You can find dumpling wrappers at your local Asian market or larger grocery stores in the freezer section. If you can only find square wonton wrappers, they will also work. You will just have a little extra wrappers on the edges.
There are many ways to decoratively fold dumplings. Search for “How to fold dumplings” and you will find several videos and tutorials. Experiment and have fun!
Korean Pork and Shrimp Dumplings (Mandu)
Ingredients
Ingredients:
Dipping Sauce:
- 4 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce or amino acids
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 4 Tbsp. water
- 4 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
- Optional add-ins:
- 1 tsp. Toasted sesame seeds
- ½ tsp.minced garlic
- 1 tsp. thinly sliced scallions
- ½ tsp. Korean chili flakes Gochugaru
Filling:
- 8 oz. ground pork
- 4 oz. shrimp cleaned and deveined, finely chopped (I use my mini food processor)
- ½ cup finely chopped cabbage
- 1 scallion thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tsp. fresh ginger grated
- 1 tsp. Sesame oil
- 2 tsp. Chinese Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
Assembly:
- 1 pack round dumpling wrappers approximately 40
- Small bowl of water
Instructions
Instructions:
- Mix all the ingredients for the dipping sauce. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients for the filling until well combined.
- Set up your dumpling making station. Have a small bowl of water ready and a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- Remove one dumpling wrapper from the package and lay in your palm. Dip your finger into the water and moisten the edges of the wrapper. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of filling into the center of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper over the filling and press the wet edges to seal. Place dumpling on the sheet pan. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. (There will be about 40 in a package). Make sure the mandu are spaced far enough apart that they are not touching. Once done, you can prepare the dumplings or freeze them for use later.
To Freeze:
- Lightly cover the sheet pan with plastic wrap and place the dumplings in the freezer for at least 4-5 hours. Once frozen, you can transfer them to freezer bags. Dumplings will be good for up to three months in the freezer. Frozen dumplings can be steamed or boiled without thawing.
To Steam:
- Fill the bottom 1” of a large pot with water and place the steamer rack inside. Bring to a boil and add dumplings. Make sure they are not touching. Place the lid on the pot and steam for 13-15 minutes. Carefully transfer the dumplings to a dish and serve with dipping sauce.
To Boil:
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Drop dumplings into the water and stir gently to keep them from sticking to the bottom. Boil for 13-15 minutes until they are floating and the filling is cooked through. Transfer to a dish and serve with dipping sauce.
Notes
There are many ways to decoratively fold dumplings. Search for “How to fold dumplings” and you will find several videos and tutorials. Experiment and have fun!