Mandu Recipes

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; drain and discard grease.
• Heat vegetable oil in a separate skillet over medium heat.
• Mix green onions, cabbage, carrot, garlic, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, monosodium glutamate, salt, and pepper into ground beef mixture; cook and stir until liquid is evaporated and vegetables are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer beef mixture to a bowl and mix in 1 egg.
• Crack the second egg into a bowl and beat well.
• Hold 1 wonton wrapper in the palm of your hand and brush a thin layer of beaten egg on 1 edge. Scoop about 1 teaspoon beef mixture into the center of the wrapper. Fold wrapper in half, corner to corner, to make a triangle and pinch the edges shut, crimping with your fingers to make a seal. Press the air out by cupping your fingers over the dumpling in your palm and pressing lightly.
• Fry wontons in the hot oil until 1 side is browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook until other side is browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer wontons to a paper towel-lined plate to drain using a slotted spoon.
• Whisk soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds together in a bowl until dipping sauce is smooth. Serve alongside wontons.

Steps:

• Set a fine-mesh sieve over a medium-size bowl. Quarter the block of tofu, and place in the strainer. Cover with a bowl, and place 1 or 2 canned goods in the bowl to weigh it down. Set aside for 1 hour to press water from tofu.
• Place the bean sprouts in a medium bowl. Season with 1 teaspoon salt. Toss to combine. Set aside for 1 hour.
• Line four baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot, and season with 1 tablespoon salt. Blanch the watercress for 10 seconds. Spread out onto one of the baking sheets in a single layer, and allow to cool, then squeeze out any excess water, and chop finely.
• Squeeze out the tofu to remove any excess liquid, then crumble finely into a large bowl. Squeeze out bean sprouts, chop finely, then add to tofu. Add watercress, pork, kimchi, garlic, ginger, scallion whites, garlic chives, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper, mirin and 1 teaspoon salt. Use your hands to combine the mixture vigorously for about 90 seconds, until the pork becomes tacky and sticks to your palm.
• Preheat a small frying pan, and add 1 teaspoon neutral-tasting oil. Make a thin, silver-dollar-size patty of filling and cook it through on both sides. Taste and adjust salt, garlic, ginger and soy as needed. The filling should be pleasantly savory.
• Lightly dust remaining baking sheets with flour. Fill a small bowl or spray bottle with cool water.
• Place a wrapper in the palm of your hand and spoon in 2 teaspoons or so of filling. Lightly spray or brush water onto the edges of the wrapper, then fold the edges over to seal, squeezing out air bubbles as you go. If using square wrappers, fold corner to corner to form a triangle. (You could stop here, if you like.) Holding the dumpling in one hand, use the index finger of your other to gently poke an indent into the center of its base (the bottom of the filling). Folding the dumpling around the indent, draw both of its bottom corners together to form a fortune-cookie shape. Overlap the corners and press to seal them together. Place onto floured tray in a single layer. Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers.
• Alternate version: To form cigar-shaped dumplings, spread 2 teaspoons filling in a line along the center of a square wrapper, then roll wrapper around the filling, leaving the last 1/2 inch of the wrapper unrolled. Pinch the ends of the dumpling to seal. Connect five cigars by nestling each onto the unrolled edge of the previous one and pressing to adhere. Carefully lift and place onto floured tray.
• At this point, dumplings can be cooked or frozen. To freeze, freeze in a single layer until solid, then pack into zip-sealed freezer bags. Freeze for up to 2 months.
• If using bamboo steamer, fill a pot with same dimensions as basket with 2 inches of water. Bring water to a simmer. Cover steamer and set atop pot. If using a metal steamer insert, set inside large pot, and add water just until it starts to come through the bottom of the insert. Cover pot, and bring to a simmer. Steam for 7 minutes until dough is tender. Serve hot.
• To steam-fry the dumplings, set a cast-iron or nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add just enough oil to coat the bottom, then carefully place a single layer of dumplings into the pan. Fry until bottoms are golden brown, about 4 minutes, then carefully add about 1/4 cup water to the pan and cover. Steam for 3 minutes until dough is tender and the water has evaporated. Serve hot with soy dipping sauce.

Steps:

• Heat wok over medium-high heat, add 2 ounces of oil and stir-fry meat until brown, mashing with a fork to break into small pieces. Drain off fat and set meat aside. Wash pan and dry thoroughly.
• Heat 1 ounce of oil over high heat for 1 minute. Add onions and saute for 2 to 3 minutes or until limp.
• Add cabbage and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for another 2 to 3 minutes or until cabbage is crisp-tender.
• Add bean sprouts, scallions, and tofu, mix well and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.
• Remove pan from heat and pour cooked mixture into a colander to drain excess liquid.
• In a large bowl, combine meat, vegetables, hoisin, salt, and pepper and mix well.
• Place 1 wonton skin on a flat surface. Cover remaining skins with a slightly damp kitchen towel (not terry cloth) so they won't dry out. Brush the edges of skin with a beaten egg. Place about 1 teaspoon of filling mixture just above the center of skin. Fold skin in half over filling to form a triangle and press edges together to seal. Repeat with remaining skins.
• Fill and preheat fryer to 375 degrees F. and deep-fry dumplings until golden brown. Serve immediately with vinegar-soy dipping sauce.
• For vinegar-soy sauce: Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Stir to dissolve sugar.