Korean Dumplings

MANDU

Similar to the Chinese wonton, Japanese gyoza or Slavic pierogi, mandu (or mandoo) is usually a mixture of meat and vegetables stuffed in a thin dough wrapper. Mandu can be fried, steamed or boiled and is traditionally served with a dipping sauce. Besides being versatile, mandu can also be prepared in large quantities in advance and stored in the freezer for future use.

Ingredients

Half a head of cabbage	2 carrots
1 small green pepper	1 onion
2 pounds ground beef/pork	1 tsp. garlic
1 tsp. pepper	2 tbsp. sesame oil
1 package of mandu wrappers	salt
1 egg
Dipping Sauce:
3 tbsp. soy sauce	pinch of pepper
pinch of sugar	1/8 tsp. vinegar

	Thinly shred the cabbage and carrots. TIP: Use a mandoline to easily shred the carrots.
	Dice the green pepper and onion.
	Combine and mix all the vegetables and 2 tablespoons of salt in a large bowl. Let the vegetables sit at room temperature for one hour. After one hour, gently squeeze a handful of the vegetables over the sink to discard the excess liquid. Place the squeezed vegetables into a new mixing bowl. Continue squeezing the remaining vegetables.
	Combine and mix the beef, squeezed vegetables, garlic, pepper, sesame oil and 1/2 tsp. of salt.
	Open the package of mandu wrappers. One key difference between Chinese wontons, Japanese gyozas and Korean mandu is the thickness of the dumpling wrapper. Notice how thin the Korean mandu wrapper is.
	Scramble the egg in a small bowl. Dip your pointer finger into the scrambled egg and smooth it over half of the mandu wrapper (the egg will act like a glue). Place a tablespoon of the beef and vegetable mixture in the center of the mandu wrapper.
	Fold over the mandu wrapper. Press and seal the edges. Make sure there are no gaps (add more scrambled egg if needed).
	To Fry the Mandu: Add a teaspoon of vegetable oil to a pan over medium heat. Allow the pan to fully heat up before adding the mandu. Lightly brown the mandu on both sides (do not overcrowd the pan).
	After both sides of the mandu are lightly browned, add 1 tablespoon of cold water and cover the pan for about 3 minutes. The steaming process finishes off the cooking process. Serve hot with dipping sauce.
	To Boil the Mandu: Bring a pot of water to a rapid boil. Slowly add the mandu one by one (being careful not to reduce the temperature of the water too quickly). Boil uncovered for about 8 minutes. Note: Do not overcrowd the pot, boil 5-6 mandu at a time in a medium sized pot. Serve hot with dipping sauce.