Mandu Korean dumplings

Step-by-step preparation

Cooking time: 2 hr 30 mins

1. STEP 1

   

   To prepare the dough you only need three ingredients: flour, water and salt. First you need to sift the premium flour, then add salt and pour in water. Using a wooden spatula, and then with your hands, knead the dough until it comes together into one ball. Transfer the resulting dough to a clean table and knead it for 5 minutes. Then form the dough into a ball, put it in a plastic bag and leave in the bag for 10 minutes.

2. STEP 2

   

   After time has passed, remove the dough from the bag; it should become more elastic. Place the dough on the work surface and knead it for 7 minutes. Form the dough into a ball again and place it in a plastic bag for another 30 minutes.

3. STEP 3

   

   At this time, start preparing the filling for the mandu. Pour sesame oil into a frying pan, add the garlic passed through a press, and lightly fry the garlic in oil until an aromatic smell appears.

4. STEP 4

   

   Wash the champignons, dry and cut into strips. Wash the fresh cucumber, cut in half, remove the middle part with seeds and also cut into strips. Place the champignons and cucumbers in a frying pan and fry until the resulting liquid has evaporated.

5. STEP 5

   

   Next, add spices: sesame seeds, sugar, ground ginger, pepper and salt. Mix.

6. STEP 6

   

   Immediately add the minced meat and fry it, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula so that no meat lumps form.

7. STEP 7

   

   At the end of cooking the filling, add soy sauce and finely chopped green onions, stir and simmer the dumpling filling for another 1-2 minutes.

8. STEP 8

   

   Remove the dough from the plastic bag. It should become even softer and a little moist. Roll out the dough into a thick sausage for more convenient dividing it into portions. Divide the resulting sausage into 16 equal pieces (approximately 40-42 grams each). To prevent the workpieces from drying out, immediately put them in a plastic bag.

9. STEP 9

   

   Take one piece, use your hands to give it a more regular circle shape, then place it on a floured work surface and roll out the circle with a rolling pin to a diameter of approximately 14-15 cm.

10. STEP 10

    

    First, prepare the manda for frying. Place the rolled out dough on your palm, place the meat filling in the center of the circle and with your right hand begin to form a pigtail: make a tuck at the bottom of the dumpling, point it inward towards the filling, then grab the edge of the dough on the left, pinch and again point it to the center to the first tuck, now grab the edge of the dough on the right, pinch and direct to the center to the second tuck and so on, moving forward, there should be a tail at the end.

11. STEP 11

    

    Now let’s make a manda for steaming them. Place the circle of dough on the table, place the filling in the center, for convenience, first pinch the dumpling in the middle, and then pinch the manda along the edges, forming beautiful folds.

12. STEP 12

    

    Fry the mandu with the braid in vegetable oil over medium heat, and place the mandu with the pinches in a double boiler for 40 minutes. Serve the finished mandu with soy sauce, seasoning it with green onions and chopped garlic.