Mandu (Dumplings)

Mandu are dumplings in Korean cuisine. First brought to Korea by the Mongols, they are similar to what are called pelmeni and pierogi in some Slavic cultures. The name is a cognate to the names of similar types of meat-filled dumplings in Central Asia, such as Turkish manti, Kazakh manty, and Uzbek manti. It is also a cognate with the Chinese mantou, although mantou is a steamed bun rather than a dumpling.
In Korean cuisine, mandu generally denotes a type of filled dumplings similar to the Mongolian buuz and Turkish mantı, and some variations are similar to the Chinese jiaozi and the Japanese gyoza. If the dumplings are grilled or fried, they are called gunmandu (군만두). Mandu are usually served with a dipping sauce made of soy sauce and vinegar.

Ingredients:
• 1 cup of ground pork
• 2 cups of ground beef
• 2 cups of chopped boo chu (Asian chives)
• 4-5 soaked Shiitake mushrooms
• half onion
• half package of tofu
• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• salt
• sugar
• sesame oil
• vegetable oil
• fish sauce
• egg
• green onion
• mandu skins (60 discs)

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)