I have made a variety of dumplings at home, from 饺子 (jiaozi) and 小龙包 (xiaolongbao) to 虾饺 (xiajiao or hakaw) and gyoza, but I have never attempted to make Koreans dumplings. Since the majority of females in my household are addicted to K-dramas, I decided to cook mandu, so they can eat Korean food other than kimchi and instant Jjajangmyeon while rewatching the wholesome scenes that ensue in their favorite shows.
The traditional shape of mandu resembles small pouches filled with prosperity and good luck to prepare for the new year. But I used a variety of methods to form them because I wanted to practice my dumpling folding abilities. I first learned these styles of pleating in my seventh-grade culinary class when my teacher made us watch a video of a professional chef folding the dumplings using five different techniques. From there, we had to imitate the way the chef’s meticulous fingers gracefully moved to properly seal the wrapper. However, do not let these intricate pleats intimidate you, for you can simply fold the wrapper in half and pinch it shut. My competitive spirit just got the better of me because I wanted to flaunt my superior skills to my mom.
Regardless of which way you end up following to shape these dumplings, the overall taste will stay more or less the same. The textures of each element used in making the filling mend together flawlessly, and you can adjust the components to accustom to what you already have at home or what you typically fancy having in your dumplings.
Recipe
Yields 15-20 servings
~ Ingredients ~
Shrimp and Pork Mandus
2 packs premade dumpling wrapper
250 grams ground pork
250 grams shrimp, chopped
50 grams dried shitake mushrooms, rehydrated and chopped
100 grams mung bean sprouts, minced
500 grams silken tofu, chopped
1 large egg
5 cloves garlic, minced
5 stalks green onion, chopped
½ teaspoons ground black pepper
¼ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cooking rice wine
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons dasida powder
Sauce
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 tablespoons water
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon white sesame seeds, toasted
1 stalk green onion chopped
~ Procedure ~
Shrimp and Pork Mandus
In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together.
Scoop 1 tablespoon of filling onto the center of a dumpling wrapper.
Wet your fingertips and brush them on the perimeter of the dumpling wrapper and fold it in half firmly sealing the dumpling. Repeat until there is no longer filling.
*Optional: Pleat the sealed edges or bring the ends together and pinch them to create a round dumpling.
Evenly space them on a steamer with parchment paper and steam for 10-15 minutes.
*Optional: For a crisp bottom, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan and cook the steamed dumplings for 2 minutes.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Sauce
In a small saucepan on medium heat, simmer the soy sauce, rice vinegar and water together for 2-3 minutes.
Mix in the sugar and let it simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
Add in the white sesame seeds and spring onions and transfer it into another dish to let the sauce cool.
Serve with the dumplings and enjoy!
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