Korean recipes:

Mandu (dumplings)

Ingredients:

Make filling:

  1. Place 1 cup of ground pork and 2 cups of ground beef into a big bowl.
  2. Add 1 ts of salt, 1 tbs of sesame oil, ½ ts of ground pepper and mix it by hand and push the mixture of meat on the side of the bowl.
  3. Wash asian chives (bu chu), dry well with paper towel or cotton cloth and then chop them to make 2 cups. Add 1 tbs of oil and mix it up. Place it in the big bowl next to the ground meat.
    tip: oil will coat vegetables so that liquid would not come out from it
  4. Chop 4-5 soaked shiitake mushrooms and half an onion and put it into a small bowl.
  5. Add 1 ts of soy sauce, 1 ts of sugar, and 2 ts of sesame oil the small bowl in the last step. Mix it by hand and then transfer it to the big bowl.
  6. Squeeze half a package of tofu using cotton cloth or paper towel and put it into a small bowl. Then add a pinch of salt, 1 ts of sesame oil and mix it and put it next to chopped chives.
  7. In the big bowl, add 3 cloves of minced garlic and mix all ingredients by hand.


Make Mandu:

For fried mandu:

  1. Place one mandu skin on your left hand and put some filling mixture on the center of the skin.
  2. On the half of the edge of the skin, put a little cold water with your fingertips.
  3. Fold skin in half over filling and press edges together to make ripple shape.
  4. Place some vegetable oil on heated pan and add mandu.
  5. Lower the heat over low medium and cover the lid of the pan to cook.
  6. A few minutes later, open the lid and turn over each mandu. Place 2-3 tbs of water and cover the lid. Cook a few minutes more over low heat.
  7. When the mandu is golden brown, transfer it to a plate.
  8. Serve hot with dipping sauce (equal parts vinegar and soy sauce).

For mandu soup:

  1. In a pot, place 6 cups of water, 8 dried anchovies, the leftover shiitake mushroom stems, left over onion and boil it all over medium heat for 20-30 minutes. If water evaporates, you can add more water.
  2. When the stock is well made, remove the anchovies and onion.
  3. Add 1 ts of fish sauce, 2 cloves of minced garlic and your mandu and cover the lid. (you can add more salt if you want)
  4. When mandu cooks properly, it floats to the surface.
  5. Add 1 beaten egg, 2 sliced green onions: Done!
  6. Serve hot with a bowl of kimchi. (ground pepper is optional)

170 Comments:

  1. gdimike Skokie, IL USA

    Hi Maangchi,

    I just finished making mandu. Boy are they great! Thanks for making the video and sharing the recipe. My only problem was I ran out of wrappers long before I ran out of meat. I’ll buy more wrappers next time.

    Actually, having too much meat mixture really isn’t really a problem because it’s delicious. Besides, I was happy to run out of wrappers because I was working alone and my back started to hurt. I’m going to make Jjajangmyun next.

    Cheers!

  2. Anonymous

    Hi Maanchi,
    I just found you site and have made your dumplings and the dessert made with the edible flowers. My family went wild for it especially the dessert. thank you very much. I also saw a demo for dumblings on another site. Can you tell me the name of the tools used to make the dumplings in different shapes and where I can purchase them? Thank you cecilia.

  3. Hi Maangchi!

    I’m going to try your recipe the next time i make mandu – i’ve never tried putting tofu in the filling, so i’m definitely going to try that.

    Also, one of my favourite frozen mandu are those that have dangmyeon in them. Do you have a recipe for this kind of mandu?

    Thanks!

  4. madmommy

    How do you fry the frozen dumplings? Do you have to thaw them first, or can you fry them from frozen? How high is the temperature you used to fry the fresh dumplings (on an electric stove). Thanks! Love your videos, so clear to understand! My husband and I spent 16 months in Korea with the Army, and we love mandu!

    • Maangchi New York City

      No, you don’t have to thaw it out, just follow the direction in the recipe. You may have to cook longer though until it turns golden brown.
      ” Place some vegetable oil on heated pan and add mandu.
      Lower the heat over low medium and cover the lid of the pan to cook.
      A few minutes later, open the lid and turn over each mandu. Place 2-3 tbs of water and cover the lid. Cook a few minutes more over low heat.
      When the mandu is golden brown, transfer it to a plate.”

      Happy New Year!

  5. Norah

    Hi how long does it roughly take to boil mandus? about 2 hours?

  6. Hi Maangchi,

    Your mandoo looks nice and amazing :)
    I would like to try and make it myself..

    and can I request recipe for kimchi mandoo?

  7. Jaja

    hi, maangchi!

    i really cant find asian chives in the market and even in grocery stores. may i ask you what substitute i could use instead of asian chives without making a substantial change from the original taste? thank you!

  8. sharon

    I live in India and the beef tends to be more tough is there any way by which i could cook the beef and then stuff and steam them?
    i also would like to know the recipe for homemade dumpling skins?

  9. Naz

    This may sound really stupid but I dont know much about Korean food and was wondering what mandoo skin actually is and also can I use other types of meat i.e. chicken, lamb rather then pork and beaf

  10. Maria

    Hi Maangchi!

    Have you seen the Food Network TV Show “Throwdown with Bobby Flay”? Well, my boyfriend and I love that show almost as much as we love your You Tube channel ;) and we decided to do an in home mandu throwndown! The prize was not doing dishes for a month! He is mexican and I am korean so I haaad to win! Right? … Well needless to say your mandu recipe helped me win by a landslide!!!!

    Thanks Maangchi!!!! You are the mandu recipe queen!!! :) & you saved me from doing dishes for a month!!!!

    Now I am off to go eat more of the prize winning mandu!!!

  11. Kathleen

    I was just wondering, can I replace the fish sauce with some Korean soy Sauce… I dont want to buy expensive bottles of fish sauce from the market. .. that kind of stuff is really expensive in korea…

  12. Shaheen

    Hi Maangchi! I was wondering I don`t have Wrappers at home do you think I could make some? Do you know any recipes I could use?

  13. David File

    I made dumplings using your recipe for a class presentation on South Korean culture. It was tricky keeping them fresh between cooking and delivering them to the class.

    My dumpling shapes and folds are a little strange looking. I tried making some new shapes as well.

    Thank you for the easily-followed instructional video. I had fun making them.

    • Maangchi New York City

      wow, cool! Did your classmates and teacher have your mandu after you finish the presentation! I’m proud of you!!!
      “I tried making some new shapes as well” hmmm, I like to see your creative mandu shape. : )

  14. Pandora

    Hi! I’ve been following your recipes from itunes podcasts and only discovered your website today :]
    I actually have spare kimchi mandu in the freezer and was wondering do I let it defrost first before putting it in the soup to cook or can I cook it from frozen?

  15. Allyson

    Maangchi, can you offer your recipes in printer-friendly format as well?

  16. Amber

    Can I use square wrappers instead of round? I bought the wrong kind…

  17. Anonymous

    Maangchi…

    I wante dto ask… i bought the mandu skins and have had them in the freezer for over a week.. i want to know .. how long do you leave them out to defrost them? or can you put them in microwave or warm water.. i think they will stick together >.<

    how long should i leave them out before preparing the mandu?

    • Alex

      Well I’m not an expert but when I made mandu with my mom this summer, we left it out for a while.. maybe 1 hour.. When you peel off a skin, make sure like the middle isnt frozen or it will make a hole in the skins.. and if theres too much de-frosting, it will get all watery making it hard to peel off the pile of skins.. make sure to have extra flour in hand to sprinkle around the edges so it doesnt stick together before you make the dumplings..

      do not put them in warm water – they will become a ball of mandu skins..
      I would also think that microwaving the skins will dry it up or cook it – which isnt good for the taste..

      • Ulli

        I defrosted mine in the microwave on low. It almost baked them together because there is apparently enough moisture in the wrappers. The wrappers themselves turned dry. I revived them one by one with wet hands. I was still able to use them for wontons in soup. They weren’t pretty but they tasted great.

    • Maangchi New York City

      Alex, thank you very much for the answer. Frozen mandu skin may be defrosted in an hour at room temperature?
      I usually transfer the frozen mandu skin to the refrigerator and let it sit for 6-8 hours. I would not use a microwave oven or soak it in warm water.

  18. Umi

    hi,
    can u post a video about how to make broccoli tofu?
    my mom made it for me long time ago, and all i remember is, the tofu is really mushed up, and the broccoli is EXTREMELY SMALL

  19. Hi, I am Canadian but I live in Korea and I love to make Korean food. I took a korean cooking course and then I also have watched a few of your videos. I am wondering if you know how to make the dough for the bigger sized mandu. it is more of a bread dough and when finished they look like buns. I am pretty sure the filling is exactly the same, I just was wondering how to make the dough. do you know? thanks, by the way your videos are great and easy to follow!

    • Maangchi New York City

      I think you are talking about steamed mandu.
      My steamed mandu recipe will be posted someday in the future.

      • HabitatForHumantity

        just spent 10 days in Vietnam building houses for Habitat for Humanity, with the added bonus of an 11 hour layover in Seoul. On the layover, I took the bus to the street market. I spoke NO Korean, and most of them spoke NO english, so I have been scouring the internet to find out about the delicious meals I ate. I think the steamed versions of these were my lunch. Some had a mild filling, like a beerock filling. Others had a spicy, red filling, which I believe had some kimchi mixed in with the meat. But, they were all steamed in HUGE bamboo steamers, with a soft, white puffy wrapper (thick, like raw bread dough). I am posting here, hoping that you can provide me a good link to a recipe to these steamed dumplings, or post your own video on them. Thank you!

  20. kristi

    I made some dumplings a couple of weeks ago as a side dish for bulgogi dinner. I made some extra soup dumplings and put them in the freezer. Last night I took them out of the freezer and made your mandoo soup. It was so nice to have a fresh hot soup on a fall day and it was very easy to do since I had already made the dumplings. I’m going to have to do another round of dumpling making soon so I can make the soup more often.

    Thanks for the recipe Maangchi!

    • Maangchi New York City

      Thank you for your update and good tips for my other readers. Yes, keeping some mandu in the freezer always makes me feel good.
      It’s getting cold now, I think it’s time for us to make good soup to warm us! : )

  21. LisaL

    I am SO glad I found your videos :D

    I just made some mandu today. Didn’t have the asian chives, so I used green onions instead.
    It still turned out fantastic. I can’t make my dumplings look as nice as yours lol, but the taste was fantastic, just like my mom makes :D
    I think next time, I’m gonna add in some chopped up rice noodles to the mix.

  22. linda

    one more question…is it ok to put the raw meat in there with all the other stuff? a friend of mine cooked her meat and then mixed it in with her ingredients. what do you think?

  23. linda

    hi maangchi. i’m thinking about making your mandoo reciepe this weekend. i know that when my mom makes it she puts the japchae type noodles in it. if i were to use that would i just cook it and mix it in with all the other ingredients?

  24. Hyang Soon

    Mandu tasted really delicious. My niece made some a week ago and they were delicious.
    I’m looking for a friend and her nickname was: Kim Sooki(Sugi). She looks very similar like you from South Korea. Haha, but your cooking is amazing. Thank you for sharing recipes.

  25. Eddieb

    Hi Maangchi,

    I made mandu last night and my sister gave it a thumbs up! She says its like the mandu our mom makes. I’d like to try to modify this recipe to make oejingeo mandu at some point. You think it would work in place of meat?

    Also, a long ago I attempted (unsuccessfully) to make mandu twigim but the steam inside made them explode in the oil lol. Any ideas on how to control the water content? Maybe flour or cornstarch?

    Thanks for your recipes!!

    /eddie

    • Maangchi New York City

      wow, squid mandu! Interesting!
      I think it works well. I don’t know much about mandu twigim, but I think you will have to seal the mandu tightly so that the filling would not come out to hot oil.

  26. Betty

    Just one question don’t you have to steam the mando before you freeze for later use or you can just fry them just after you make them?

    • Maangchi New York City

      Freeze raw dumplings. You don’t have to steam them.
      To make fried mandu, follow this direction.
      # Place some vegetable oil on heated pan and add mandu.
      # Lower the heat over low medium and cover the lid of the pan to cook.
      # A few minutes later, open the lid and turn over each mandu. Place 2-3 tbs of water and cover the lid. Cook a few minutes more over low heat.
      # When the mandu is golden brown, transfer it to a plate.
      # Serve hot with dipping sauce (equal parts vinegar and soy sauce).

  27. Linda Linda

    Why did you soak the Mushroom for 5 hours?

  28. Michael

    Just want to say i love your recipes. Can you do one for Ahndong Jjimdahk?

  29. Charles

    Hi Maangchi,

    I have made Mandu twice, once for my family and once for my Koren daughter in law, my son and our grandchildren. It was a hit! I also made bibbimbap. Both were excellent.

    Thanks and Best Wishes

    Chales
    Wisconsin USA

  30. arjey0921

    hi maangchi….

    i live here in the philippines and stumbled on your site a week ago.. the first recipe that i did was the egg rolls… my three siblings had it as a side dish to their packed lunches… and today, they begged me to have mandu as their viand for tomorrow in school…

    you really make cooking easy and fun!

    • Maangchi New York City

      haha, you are now making Korean style lunch box for your siblings! gyeran mari (or gyeran malyee) is a very popular side dish for lunch box in Korea. Now your siblings use my recipe section as their menu. “hey, sister, I want you to make this this weekend!” Cute!

  31. Tracy McKenna

    Maangchi *Ü*
    My first visit to your blog…What a great video! Visited Korea twice when my husband was stationed over there and fell in love with the food. I’d sneak downtown and get steamed mandu, lots of kimchi (YUM) and those fantastic brown-sugary pancakes from the street vendors. I’ll have to check out the rest of your videos, Maangchi! Hope I find one for those pancakes, hint hint.. Thanks for all your hard work Ü

  32. philip

    Maangchi, I used to go to a Korean Restaurant in Virginia that served Mandu with a spicy dipping sauce. It was red and had lots of chili peppers & garlic in it. I just made your mandu & was wondering if you had a recipe for a dipping sauce similar to the one I described.

    Thank you so much for setting up this Blog. I am a huge fan! I live up in Maine and there are no Korean restaurants (argh!!!). Your recipes have made it possible for me to get my fix of Korean food!

    Thank you

    • Maangchi New York City

      hmm spicy dipping sauce. Was it sour and spicy? If so, you can make it easily. Mix 1 tbs hot pepper paste, 1 ts sugar (or honey), 1 ts minced garlic, 2 ts vinegar in a bowl. If it’s not that you are looking for, I don’t know.
      I would like to visit Maine someday to eat fresh lobsters! : )

  33. James

    Maangchi,

    I’m fan of korean cooking and absolutely adore your blog. I would like to ask if I want to make Kimichi Mandu how do I go about it. I notice there is Kimchi Mandu from a Korean Drama I currently watching but they did not specify in detail in making it. Could you provide me additional info based on the current mandu recipe you posted? Thanks.

  34. Hazel

    I made mandu for my cousin’s birthday, and it turned out SOOO delicious!!!! i made both yakimandu and mandu-guk! I loved the yakimandu the most, but my mom LOOOVED mandu-guk (she kept commenting on how good it was while eating the soup haha). Thank you so much for posting the recipe for this Maangchi! Now I don’t have to buy the packaged mandu anymore! =)

  35. Jenneida

    A friend of mine gave the website because I love the culture and i made this for my mom and family for Mother’s Day and they loved it. Thanks for the recipe ^_^

  36. Neeka

    maangchi! is it possible to substitute the pork with just more beef? i want to make this for my boyfriend but he can’t eat pork! :( will it still taste as delicious?!

  37. yuki

    Is it ok if I don’t add tofu to the dumplings?

  38. sammy

    HEY MAANGCHI! just tried to make these, it was my first time attempting a koreon dish and it was a hit! thank you thank you thank you!
    there so good!

    xx
    sammy :)

  39. Sandie

    Hi Maangchi! I’m excited to try out your mandoo recipe!! I’d like to give you a couple of suggestions that you might want to try with your recipe =): 1) For maximum water drainage of the tofu, microwave for about 5 minutes or until it’s cooked. Then squeeze out the water with a paper towel or cheesecloth. 2) add 2 whole eggs to the mandoo filling. This will help the filling hold when cooked. Thank you for inspiring me to cook!!

  40. melsamom

    Hi Maangchi! Thanks for the recipe!! I tried to make one today and though I forgot to salt the meat =p it turns out great (yes just not salty enough =p). my husband was wondering about the skins that we bought, it seems that it was very thick and not crunchy enough. Is there any specific brand you suggest for the mandu skins? Thanks Maangchi! You are wonderful!!

  41. Maangchi New York City

    James Kim,
    I’m living in New York now.
    Check this out,
    http://www.maangchi.com/blog/planning-my-korean-cooking-class

  42. James Kim

    Hello Maangchi-love your site-what city are you in. I was wondering if you give cooking classes-can you reply to my email? Thank you!

  43. Maangchi New York City

    marla,
    sorry about late reply. I am reading your comment just now. Anyway, did you add some vegetable oil in each ingredient? Check the step number 3 in my recipe. It won’t soggy if you follow the direction.

    Julie W,
    you are very welcome!

  44. Julie W

    Hi Maangchi!
    Thank you for this recipe! You make it look so easy!!!

  45. marla

    First I am so excited to find you here. I love Korean Food but not good at making it. Your directions are great. Easy to follow and so far all the recipee I have tried has worked out.
    But having problems with mandu. I tried to cook it but it was kind of soggy!!! What did I do wrong? Does it make a difference in what kind of a pan you use?
    Thanks so much for doing this I really appreciate it and my children love the food.

  46. Maangchi New York City

    xxMillieann85xx
    yeah, you can keep mandu in the freezer for a long time. Whenever you feel like eating it, you can take it out from the freezer and cook it. that’s what I’m doing. Make lots and lots of mandu when you have free time and put them in the freezer!

  47. xxMillieann85xx

    hello~!

    wats the point of leaving the mandus in the freezer??

    is it dinner for the next day?? :P:P:P

  48. Maangchi New York City

    Kim periwinkle018,
    let me know how your mandu turns out.
    thank you very much!

  49. Kim periwinkle018

    Hi! Thank you for your post of this recipe. I will try to do this mandu tomorrow and serve it to my bestfriends. By the way I’m teaching English to Koreans online and I kinda like your culture especially the food.. hehehe…
    More power to you!

  50. u r great

    in my country it’s called MOMO but it is steamed cooked.. you can eat it like that or you can fry .. we also put some MOMO masala or MOMO seasoning to give it a strong taste.. then we eat it with chutney made from sesame seed, tomato and sometimes with different kind of chutneies.

  51. Maangchi New York City

    Jeannie,
    You made fantastic shape of mandu!

  52. Jeannie

    Yay! So delicious. My soup photo did not look as good as it tasted :(

    But here is a photo of my mandu! :

    http://flickr.com/photos/jc-dc/3276191954/in/photostream/

    thank you :)

  53. Jeannie

    Maangchi!! I just made the soup and it was DELICIOUS. I will post some photos soon :)

  54. Maangchi New York City

    Mhee,
    You can keep it in the freezer for a few months.

    Reinier
    I’m glad to hear that your mandu turned out great!

    samwei,
    wow, your fried mandu looks very delicious!

  55. samwei

    Hello Maangchi

    thanks agaiin for your recipe. I made it! the Mandu taste very yummy. my friend cannot resist these greatest dumplings at all. here is my blog link.
    http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/London-samwei/article?mid=8424

    best wishes from London

  56. Reinier Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Hi Maangchi,
    Love the mandu, i made them with green spinach flavoured dumpling discs. This really tastes great!
    Thanx from Rotterdam

  57. Mhee

    I love dumplings, I used to wonder how they make it into that shape (the hat shape), thanks for sharing you’re knowledge, your dumplings really look appetizing. I see that you made a lot and store them in batches, how long can you keep them?

  58. Maangchi New York City

    JHuang,
    oh, after I rolled the filling balls in flour, I just put them in the boiling stock with normal looking mandu.
    It’s very easy.

    Rhyne and fouzia from france,

    Thank you very much. Happy and successful 2009! : )

  59. yummy… thanks a lot.. more power..

  60. JHuang

    I just stumbled upon your podcast & this is the first episode I saw. I love to make dumplings & thought it was really cool how you used the leftover filling.

    What did you do after you rolled the filling balls in flour? Did you fry it, boil it, bake it, etc? I don’t remember seeing that part on the video.

    (please e-mail a response, thanks!)

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