How to Cook Mandu

Yields: 60 dumplings

Preparation time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients needed to make Mandu:

• 60 mandu wrappers
• 2 cups ground beef
• 1 cup ground pork
• Half of packaged firm tofu
• 4-5 shiitake mushrooms, soaked, drained and chopped
• ½ onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Chopped green onions, as required
• 2 cups Asian chives, rinsed, dried and chopped
• 1 tbsp + 3 tsp  sesame oil
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for frying
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Cooking instructions for Mandu:

• Stir the ground meat together until well combined and season with salt and ground pepper to taste.
• Drizzle a tbsp of sesame oil over it and work them together with your hand to mix thoroughly.
• Pour a tbsp of vegetable oil into a bowl of Asian chives and toss well to coat evenly.
• Sprinkle it on top of the seasoned meat and set aside.
• Toss the onions and mushrooms together until well combined and dump them into the bowl of filling too.
• Whisk the sugar into a mixture of fish sauce and a couple of tsp sesame oil until they blend properly and drizzle it over the filling.
• Squeeze out any excess moisture in the tofu and crumble it into a small bowl.
• Add a dash of salt and rest of the sesame oil into it and stir them well together until mixed properly.
• Add them to the filling and stir them all together, along with the minced garlic, until they are well combined.
• Spread the mandu wrappers across a flat surface and spoon 2 tsp of the filling into its middle.
• Brush some cold water along the edges of the wrapper and fold one edge over the filling to form a moon-shaped dumpling.
• Pinch the edges together to seal and place it on a plate.
• Make rest of the dumplings in a similar fashion and arrange them on the same plate.
• Heat a skillet over moderate heat and pour in a lashing of vegetable oil for shallow frying.
• Heat it over moderate flame and lower the dumplings into it, few at a time to avoid overcrowding.
• Reduce the heat slightly and place the lid on top.
• Fry one side of the dumplings for about 3-4 minutes or until it browns and turn it over to cook the other side similarly.
• Add a splash of water to it and continue to cook for few more minutes at slow flame.
• Drain them out into serving plates once they turn golden brown and serve hot alongside your favorite Asian dipping sauce.

 Image credit: Wikimedia Commons