Ingredients
- ½ pound beef brisket (or pork belly or pork shoulder), ground
- 1 teaspoon worth of ginger, minced
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 ounces dangmyeon (sweet potato starch noodles)
- 1 cup of minced onion (½ a of large onion)
- 1½ cups of chopped buchu, (substitute for 8 to 10 chopped green onions)
- 1 cup of kimchi, chopped
- ⅓ cup worth medium firm tofu (100 grams: about 4 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- vegetable oil
- a little flour to dust your fingers
Dipping sauce:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- ¼ cup worth of chunks of onion
- 1 jalapeño or Korean green chili pepper, chopped
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Take your mandu wrappers out of the freezer. They can thaw out while we prepare the fillings.
- Place the beef, garlic, and ginger into a bowl. Use a wooden spoon to mix with 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, and ½ ts ground black pepper. You can use a food processor if you want to.
- Heat up a skillet over medium high heat and add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Stir fry the meat mixture until the meat is no longer pink.
- Transfer to a large mixing bowl and be sure to include the juices from the cooked meat.
- Bring about 7 to 8 cups of water in a pot to a boil over medium high heat. Add the dangmyeon (aka sweet potato starch noodles) to the boiling water. Cover and cook for 7 to 8 minutes.
- Take a sample of the noodles to see if they’re cooked thoroughly. They should be soft with no firm bits in them at all. Strain and rinse under running cold water. Drain. Chop into small pieces. Add to the mixing bowl.
- Add the minced onion, the chives, and kimchi to the mixing bowl.
- Squeeze the tofu slightly by hand to remove excess water and add it to the mixing bowl.
- Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper. Mix well by hand or a wooden spoon until well mixed
Shaping mandu:
- Put a wrapper on your palm and add 2 or 3 spoons of filling to the center.
- Loosely fold it in half vertically. Pinch the bottom on the fold to seal it.
- Push the right side in a little bit, so the wrapper folds in on itself slightly.
- Pinch that fold to make a pleat.
- Do the same on the left side and alternate sides all the way up until the mandu is sealed.
- Pinch or wrap the end to seal it.
- Repeat until you’ve made mandu from all your fillings.
To freeze for later use (up to 3 months):
- Set the mandu on a tray lined with plastic wrap so they aren’t touching each other.
- Put into the freezer for 8 hours or so, until they are all frozen.
- Gently put them into a plastic bag or airtight container and put them back into the freezer.
Steam mandu:
- Boil water in a steamer. Line the steamer rack or basket with a parchment paper.
- Place some mandu in the steamer basket, but be sure to make room between the mandu because they will expand slightly when cooked. Cover and steam for 15 minutes.
- Remove and serve with dipping sauce.
Fry mandu:
- Heat up a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and swirl to spread the oil evenly.
- Add some mandu and cook over medium heat, rotating them so each side gets golden-brown.
- Lower the heat to low and cover. Cook for a few more minutes.
- Remove and serve with dipping sauce.
Dipping sauce:
- Combine 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, ¼ cup chunks of onion, 1 chopped green chili pepper (or jalapeño) in a bowl.
- Mix well. Optionally, if you like it sweet, add 1 teaspoon sugar.