King-size kimchi dumplings

Today I’m going to show you a recipe I’m really proud of: king-size kimchi-filled dumplings, or kimchi-wangmandu in Korean. Mandu is the Korean word for dumplings, and recently I showed you how to make your own dumpling skins (mandu-pi in Korean). You can use them for this recipe. I showed you how to make them large, because we’re going to make king-size mandu today: big and substantial. Two or three king mandu should be enough for one meal. If you don’t make your own skins you can buy them in a Korean grocery store.

These mandu are made with fermented kimchi, so they have a serious savory kick, and I also use ground beef, ginger, garlic, and chopped onion, noodles, and tofu which make them full of flavor and juicy.

Kimchi mandu are authentically Korean and really delicious, and I worked and reworked this recipe’s ratio and technique until I was fully satisfied with the end result. I ate a lot of mandu! But it was worth it in the end, because these are so good. I’m still eating them!

What you need to do is make many of them at a time – 16 in this recipe – and freeze the leftovers for later use. Then they’re always on hand and you can have mandu any time you want. If you like this recipe, also check out my other mandu recipes: fluffy steamed pork buns (Jjinppang-mandu) and Korean dumplings (mandu), which don’t use kimchi.

I hope you make some delicious mandu for your family and friends and have a lot of fun making and eating them. I guarantee everyone will love these, so be sure to make big batches of kimchi king mandu!

Ingredients (for 16 large dumplings)

• 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)

Directions

1. Take your mandu wrappers out of the freezer. They can thaw out while we prepare the fillings.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and be sure to include the juices from the cooked meat.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Add the minced onion, the chives, and kimchi to the mixing bowl.
8. Squeeze the tofu slightly by hand to remove excess water and add it to the mixing bowl.
9. 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:

1. Put a wrapper on your palm and add 2 or 3 spoons of filling to the center.
2. Loosely fold it in half vertically. Pinch the bottom on the fold to seal it.
3. Push the right side in a little bit, so the wrapper folds in on itself slightly.
4. Pinch that fold to make a pleat.
5. Do the same on the left side and alternate sides all the way up until the mandu is sealed.
6. Pinch or wrap the end to seal it.
7. Repeat until you’ve made mandu from all your fillings.

To freeze for later use (up to 3 months):

1. Set the mandu on a tray lined with plastic wrap so they aren’t touching each other.
2. Put into the freezer for 8 hours or so, until they are all frozen.
3. Gently put them into a plastic bag or airtight container and put them back into the freezer.

Steam mandu:

1. Boil water in a steamer. Line the steamer rack or basket with a parchment paper.
2. 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.
   
   
3. Remove and serve with dipping sauce.

Fry mandu:

1. Heat up a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and swirl to spread the oil evenly.
2. Add some mandu and cook over medium heat, rotating them so each side gets golden-brown.
3. Lower the heat to low and cover. Cook for a few more minutes.
4. Remove and serve with dipping sauce.

Dipping sauce:

1. 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.
2. Mix well. Optionally, if you like it sweet, add 1 teaspoon sugar.