Dumpling wrappers

Today I’m going to show you how to make extra-large dumpling wrappers big enough to make king-sized Korean dumplings. Korean dumplings are called mandu and these wrappers are called mandu-pi. Ever since I posted my first mandu recipe in 2008 many people who don’t have access to a Korean grocery store have asked me how to make the wrappers at home. It lead me to develop this recipe, which took me some time to perfect.

From experimentation I learned that homemade mandu-pi are a lot tastier than mandu-pi from the grocery store. They are big noodles used to wrap around fillings, so taking time and care to get them right will make your dumplings that much better.

Not only that, but they are easy to make!

This recipe makes king-sized wrappers (or skins), but you could also use this recipe to make smaller wrappers, too. Just divide them into smaller pieces before you roll them out.

Enjoy my recipe, and I hope you make some nice delicious mandu-pi from it. Let me know how your mandu turn out!

Ingredients

(makes 16 large wrappers, each one 5½ to 6 inches in diameter)

• 2 cups all purpose flour plus ¼ cup extra for dusting
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅔ cup water

Directions

1. Combine 2 cups of flour, salt, and water in a large mixing bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until it turns into a lump. Then knead it by hand for a few minutes until the dough gets a little softer. Put it in a plastic bag to keep it from the air and let it sit for 10 to 30 minutes on the kitchen counter.
   
2. Take the dough out of the plastic bag. It will be a little softer and moist and easier to handle. Knead it for 5 to 7 minutes, until it’s smooth and elastic.
   
3. Place the dough on a cutting board dusted with a bit of flour and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Put one half into the plastic bag to keep it from getting dried out as your work on the other half.
4. Cut the piece of dough into 8 equal sized pieces. Roll each piece out with a rolling pin into 5½ to 6 inch round circle disks. They should be a little thinner on the edges than in the middle, because we’ll eventually be pinching the edges together when we make mandu, so you don’t want them too thick and doughy.
   
5. Take the second half out of the bag and make mandu wrappers out of it using the same method.
6. Use them right away to make mandu, or freeze them for later.

To freeze:

1. Cover a large platter with plastic wrap and put the wrappers on it. Place them so they don’t touch each other, and separate layers of skins with sheets of plastic wrap.
2. When it’s full of skins, cover the entire tray with plastic wrap and freeze it for up to 1 month.

How to use frozen mandupi:

1. Thaw out at room temperature for 10 to 20 minutes before using them to make mandu.