Korean dumplings packed with a juicy filling of ground pork, tofu, garlic chives, and squeezed kimchi or cabbage, then pleated shut and pan-fried into crisp-bottomed gun-mandu. Versatile street and home food eaten dipped in soy-vinegar.
Carried into Goryeo Korea by the Mongols of the Yuan dynasty in the 14th century; the name itself is cognate with Chinese mantou, part of a Silk Road family of filled wheat foods and long part of royal court cuisine; now ubiquitous in Korean snack shops and markets.
A shatteringly crisp golden bottom gives way to a thin, chewy wrapper and a hot, juicy filling. The pork is savory and rich, the chives green and aromatic, with tangy kimchi or sweet cabbage threading brightness through every bite.
Draining the tofu and squeezing the vegetables prevents the filling from leaking and steaming the wrapper soggy. The fry-then-steam-then-fry method first crisps the base, cooks the filling through with trapped steam, then re-crisps for a contrast of textures.
Variations
Jjin-mandu (steamed), mul-mandu (boiled in broth), kimchi-mandu, wang-mandu (large steamed buns), gogi-mandu with mostly meat.
On the Palate
Where Mandu Korean sits in the Korean flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 45 min
- 15 min
Squeeze chopped kimchi or blanched cabbage hard to remove excess moisture.
Watch outWring the cabbage or kimchi until barely any liquid drips — leftover water steams the wrapper soggy and the filling falls apart.
- 24 min
Crumble and press tofu in a cloth to drain it completely.
- 36 min
Mix ground pork, tofu, chives, kimchi, garlic and sesame oil into a filling.
- 410 min
Place a spoonful of filling in the center of each dumpling wrapper.
- 58 min
Wet the edges, fold into a half-moon and pleat firmly to seal.
- 63 min
Heat oil in a pan and arrange the dumplings flat-side down.
- 76 min
Fry until the bottoms are golden, then add a splash of water and cover to steam.
Watch outFry the flat bottoms to golden first, then add a splash of water and clap the lid on — the trapped steam cooks the filling through.
- 83 min
Uncover, let the bottoms re-crisp, and serve with soy-vinegar dipping sauce.
Watch outUncover and let the water cook off so the bottoms re-crisp — lift one and it should be lacy-golden and crunchy, not soft.
