Gogi Mandu

고기만두

(Meat Dumpling)

Traditionally, mandu is handmade and served during the Lunar New Year as it symbolizes good health and well-being. This dish is also served during festivities, ancestral rights, and winter. A long time ago in Korea, dumplings were not common but were just a seasonal food. In the present, mandu is sold in food carts on the streets. It may be filled with other types of meat and vegetables. This is Dong Baek’s favorite snack to eat whenever she feels down in the drama When the Camellia Blooms.15

15 When the Camellia Blooms, directed by Yeong Hoon Cha, written by Sang Choon Lim, starring Hyo Jin Gong and Ha Neul Kang (2019; Seoul: KBS), Netflix.

MAIN INGREDIENT

• 100 grams mung bean sprouts
• 1/2 piece onion
• 50 grams chives
• 150 grams tofu
• 300 grams ground pork
• 30 sheets dumpling skins

SEASONINGs

• 2 tablespoons green onions
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1/3 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Dipping Sauce for Mandu

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• a few sesame seeds

HOW TO Prepare and COOK

1. Wash and blanch mung bean sprouts, then drain.
2. Chop the mung bean sprouts and squeeze the water out.
3. Finely chop onion, green onions, and chives.
4. Mash up tofu and squeeze out the excess water.
5. Mix all the prepared main ingredients together with seasonings.
6. Knead the ingredients so that they are well mixed and sticky.
7. Place one spoon of stuffing onto a dumpling skin and then make a half-moon shape. Attach both ends of the dumpling to each other.
8. Steam the dumplings in a steamer for 20 minutes.
9. Serve the dumplings with vinegar sauce in a small bowl.

BONUS:

Dumpling Skins

Main Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon cooking oil
• 3 cups (300 grams) flour

HOW TO make

1. Dissolve salt in water, then add oil. Mix well.
2. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour and mix well with a fork until it is a lump.
3. Put the dough in a plastic bag and keep it the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
4. When the dough has moistened, knead until smooth.
5. Rip coin-sized pieces of dough and flatten these pieces using a rolling pin. Make round and thin dumpling skins.

Chef’s Notes

1. Mix all seasoning ingredients before you put them into the main ingredient mixture. This is for easy mixing and even seasoning.
2. It is useful to use a fork to mix the dough. This is so you can make the dough easily without touching it.
3. First, when the water in the steamer starts to boil, add dumplings and steam them.
4. The main ingredients can be replaced or added with kimchi or seafood such as shrimp and squid.

 

This Dish Appears in the Following Korean Drama/s:

• Jewel in the Palace (2003-2004) - MBC
• Let’s Eat: Season 2 (2015) - TVN
• Romance is a Bonus Book (2019) - TVN
• When The Camellia Blooms (2019) - KBS
• You are the Best Lee Soon Shin (2013) - KBS
• Hotel Del Luna (2019) - TVN

   

 

CHEF REGGIE’S TIPS

• I love Lily’s dumpling skin recipe! For a colorful dumpling, you may add 1 tablespoon moringa or ube powder. This is inspired by one of our favorite restaurants in Seongbuk-Dong.

VARIATION

Dumpling Filling: You can follow the recipe below; it is one of my tastiest recipes for dumplings.

1/2 kilo ground pork

1/3 cup ground pork, back fat

1/2 kilo shrimps, deveined and finely chopped

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 teaspoon grated ginger

2 tablespoons largely grated onions

2 tablespoons largely grated carrots

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon green onions

1. Combine all ingredients and knead until tacky.
2. Fill mandu wrappers with the mixture.
3. Steam, then serve with soy sauce and vinegar.