Korean Mandoo

I love trying food from different parts of the world, often times places from places I've never been, but hope to go someday...

Ross and I just found a great little Indian restaurant in Anchorage, based on a recommendation from a co-worker. I have a real soft spot for fresh naan and raita...

Mmmm, Naan...

Oftentimes, recommendations are the way we find our favorite restaurants, new recipes, etc.

When I think of Korean food, I think of Jim. His wife owns a Korean catering business also, I mean come on... :) So when Jim passed along this recipe for Korean Mandu, we knew we had to try it. It was surprisinly easy to make. I think the hardest part was finding wonton wrappers (which were next to the tofu at our store). We made 'em with beef, but I think pork would be divine. We'll try that the next time.

Ross making dumplings.

We made this after a day of snowboarding and it was AWESOME. It's similar to wonton soup, but there's more protein and vegetables. More nutritional value you say? I'll take it! This recipe makes enough to freeze the other half of the dumplings for another meal. Even better. Here's the recipe...

Korean Mandoo (Adapted from Jim)

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes



Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground beef or pork

1 onion, finely chopped

1 cup finely chopped cabbage (about 1/2 of a small cabbage head), parboiled

1/2 cup tofu (1 cake), chopped

4 oz mung bean or sweet potato noodles, soaked and then chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 Tbsp sesame oil

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 package circular mandoo wrappers (or Japanese gyoza or Chinese wonton wrappers)

Preparation:

In a large mixing bowl, gently combine meat, onion, cabbage, tofu, and noodles.
In a separate bowl, combine garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, salt, and pepper
Pour seasoning mixture over meat and vegetables and mix with hands to combine
Place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of dumpling wrapper.
Dip your finger in water and wet the outside edge of the top half of the wrapper.
Fold the wrapper up to close and then crimp the edges.
Repeat until the filling is gone
You can steam, boil, fry, or saute the dumplings as you wish.