Method
- Prepare the filling: combine minced pork, drained chopped kimchi, crumbled tofu, chopped glass noodles, chopped bean sprouts, spring onion, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, pepper and salt. Mix in one direction with chopsticks for 90 seconds until tacky.
- Test-cook a small spoonful of filling in a hot pan and taste — adjust salt or sesame as needed before wrapping any.
- Place a heaped tablespoon of filling in the centre of a wrapper. Brush the edge with water. Fold in half to form a half-moon, pressing the edges firmly. Then bring the two pointed ends together and pinch — the classic Korean mandu shape, not the Chinese pleated jiaozi.
- For boiled mandu (mul mandu): boil in a wide pot of unsalted water for 5 minutes. They will float when done.
- For pan-fried mandu (gun mandu): heat 2 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high. Place mandu in a circle, fry undisturbed for 2 minutes until the bottoms are deep golden. Add 60ml water and cover immediately; steam 4 minutes. Uncover, evaporate any remaining water for 30 seconds. Lift onto a plate, browned-side up.
- Serve with the dipping sauce. Mandu is also dropped whole into tteokguk (rice cake soup) for the Lunar New Year version called tteok-mandu-guk.
Common questions
Can Mandu be made ahead?
Mandu is best made and eaten the same day, but the components can be prepped earlier — chop and measure the ingredients up to a day ahead, refrigerated separately. Final cooking takes about 12 minutes.
Is Mandu spicy?
Mandu as written is mild to mildly warming — the heat comes from aromatics rather than chili. Add fresh sliced chili or chili oil at the end if you'd like to push it spicier.
Is Mandu vegetarian or gluten-free?
This recipe is suitable for most diets. If you have specific restrictions, the substitutions section in each ingredient note covers the most common swaps.
How hard is Mandu to make at home?
Mandu sits at intermediate difficulty — total time about 72 minutes. The ingredients are not unusual but the timing requires attention.
Can Mandu be scaled up or down?
This recipe is written for 6 servings. To scale, multiply each ingredient proportionally; the cooking times stay the same up to about double the volume. Beyond that, expect to cook in batches because of pan size and heat distribution.
Cultural Note
Mandu came to Korea from Mongolia during the Yuan dynasty's expansion into the peninsula in the 1200s — the Mongolian word 'mantuu' became Korean mandu, also Chinese mantou, Turkish manti and Japanese manju (each diverging into different shapes and fillings). Korean mandu uses kimchi and glass noodles in the filling — both unique to the Korean tradition. North Korean mandu is larger; South Korean is small and often pan-fried. Wang mandu (literally 'king mandu') are the bun-sized steamed version sold at street stalls.
