Making dumpling is a laborious task…. The process is not that difficult but it is time consuming… lots of chopping, squeezing, and assembling….lots of love goes into it…

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Growing up in Korea my mother made Mandu during winter months because of abundant Kimchi 김장 김치….She had actually dug a whole in the ground, placed a big jar, and filled it with kimchi so it can be eaten all through the long winter months. We didn’t have a fridge back then… Wow~ this sounds so ancient…

In Korea,  people in rural areas still make Kimchi the same way as mother did thirty years ago…

When mother made Mandu, it was all done by hand. It would take almost a half day just to make the filling …. Christy and I were too little to help out with filling preparation but we did help out assembling them. When my mother was done making the filling we would gather around an enormous bowl that held it and started assembling mandu.

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While we were assembling Mandu, the Mother would cook mandu for us in a portable stove in the room.  The room would be filled with laughter and warmth.  Of ten we would share some of the mandu with our neighbors.   Oh~ good old days~^^~

I am so glad my mother gave a good childhood memory like this….

Since we didn’t eat meat back then..she would always prepare meatless filling for us.

If you don’t like or eat meat just omit the meat and add little more tofu.  You can also use just one type of ground meat instead of two. The following recipe calls for beef and pork.

I came up with this recipe from watching my mother…

Today’s Mandu Recipe

2 large  poki  kimchi

8 oz firm tofu

1/2 lb ground pork

1/2lb ground beef

1 lb mung bean spouts, steamed and coarsely chopped

4 oz  Korean sweet potato starch noodles

4 green onions,minced

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons fresh ginger juice

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 teaspoons sea salt

100 dumpling wrappers

Salt & pepper

KimChi

Drain, finely chop KimChi.

Remove as much excess liquid as possible.

After chopping and squeezing out liquid, it weighed 23.6 oz. Set aside.

Ground meats

Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil & 1 tablespoon sake and set aside (I like to season the meats before mixing but it’s optional).

Tofu

Place the tofu on a plate and heat in the microwave for 1 minute. Drain the liquid from the plate. Crumble tofu with the back of a knife or by hand. Set aside.

Mung Bean Spouts.

Wash and steam or blanch mung bean spouts and squeeze out excess water. Coarsely chop and set aside.

잡채

Bring water to a boil in a medium pot. Add noodles and cook for 5 -7 minutes or until soft.

Rinse noodles in cold water and drain completely.

Coarsely chop and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the meats,tofu, kimchi,bean sprouts,green onions, garlic, ginger, sesame oil,sesame seeds, sesame oil, and salt.

After mixing… I like to take a spoonful of filling and cook in a microwave to taste if it is seasoned right. Depending on Kimchi used, I may need to adjust the seasoning at times.

Gather all the ingredients and press the ingredients together.

Prepare the baking sheets by dusting flour over the surface.

To assemble the dumplings…

Fill a small bowl with water.

Wet your finger tip in the water and rub over the top half of the wrapper

Scoop a generous teasponful of filling in the middle of the wrapper.

Pinch the skin along the top edge of the wrapper into pleat. Bring the bottom of the wrapper over the filling and press into pleat. If you don’t want to pleat the edge, just fold in half and seal.

Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

The round shaped mandu is easiest and just fold in half and seal (make sure that there are no air bubbles) then bring both end of tips together. Most people use this shaped mandu for 떡 만두국/rice cake soup.

Simple and cute…

Steam the dumplings for about 15 minutes or bring a large pot of water to a boil and add dumplings cook until mandu/dumplings float to the surface. Cook for additional two minutes.

Serve with soy dipping sauce…

Soy dipping sauce

1 tablepsoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon water

1/2 tablespoon vinegar

1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/8 red pepper flakes

To freeze Dumplings

To freeze dumplings for later use, place the baking sheet with the fresh uncooked dumplings directly into your freezer.

Do not cover. When the dumplings are frozen solid, remove from the freezer and place them in zippered plastic freezer bags.

They will keep in the freezer for 2 months. To cook frozen dumplings, do not defrost. Place directly into boiling water or soup stock. Return to a boil. Once the dumplings rise; cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Delicious mandu….

너무 맛있는 만두 드세요….Enjoy~:D

Dough Recipe

4 cups all-purpose flour

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 egg

3/4 cup water

Combine flour,salt, oil,egg and water in a large mixing bowl. Knead dough until smooth and free of lumps. Keep in a plastic bag. Let sit for 20 minutes or keep in the fridge until ready to use.

Knead dough into a roll about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Cut the dough into 1/2-inch slices. With each slice, use a rolling pin, or a smooth glass bottle to roll out a thin skin.