Mandu coréens

Prepare the vegetables

Squeeze the kimchi firmly with your hands over the sink to press out most of its juice, then chop it finely — wet kimchi will make the filling watery and tear the wrappers. Blanch the bean sprouts in boiling water for 30 seconds, drain well, squeeze dry and chop. Finely chop the garlic chives and onion.

• 200 g kimchi
• 100 g mung bean sprouts
• 50 g garlic chives
• 1 small onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp ginger

✅ C'est prêt quand : the kimchi feels mostly dry and everything is finely and evenly chopped

Mix the filling

Wrap the tofu in a clean cloth and squeeze out as much water as you can, then crumble it into a large bowl. Add the pork, the prepared kimchi, bean sprouts, chives, onion, garlic and ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, pepper, egg and starch. Mix with your hands for a minute or two until everything is well combined and slightly sticky — this working of the mix is what keeps the dumplings juicy instead of crumbly.

• 300 g ground pork
• 150 g tofu
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp potato starch

✅ C'est prêt quand : the mixture holds together in a sticky mass when pressed with a spoon

Fill and fold

Lay a wrapper flat and spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling into the centre — don't overfill or it will burst. Wet half the edge with a fingertip dipped in water, fold the wrapper in half to make a half-moon, and press the edges together from the centre outward, pushing out any trapped air as you go. Pleat the sealed edge in small folds for a sturdy seal, or simply crimp with a fork; set the finished dumpling on its pleated edge so it stands up slightly, which helps it fry evenly later.

• 40 dumpling wrappers
• a little water, for sealing

✅ C'est prêt quand : the edges are sealed tight with no air pockets and no filling is peeking out

Pan-fry and steam

Heat the vegetable oil in a nonstick pan or well-seasoned skillet over medium heat. Arrange the dumplings in a single layer and fry for 2 minutes, until the bottoms are golden. Pour in the water, cover immediately, and steam over medium-low heat for 6 minutes so the filling cooks through. Uncover and fry for 1–2 minutes more, until the water has evaporated and the bottoms are deep golden and crisp again.

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 120 ml water

✅ C'est prêt quand : the wrappers look slightly translucent, the pork is cooked through with no pink showing, and the bottoms are crisp and golden

Make the dipping sauce

While the dumplings cook, stir together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, scallion, sesame seeds and chili flakes in a small bowl.

• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp scallion
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 pinch chili flakes

Serve

Transfer the mandu to a plate, crisp side up, and serve hot with the dipping sauce on the side. Any extra uncooked dumplings freeze beautifully on a tray before being bagged, ready to cook straight from frozen.