[Korean Recipes] Veggie Tofu Mandu/ Dumplings

Homemade Korean Veggie Tofu Mandu/dumplings – Delicious vegan-friendly mandu (dumplings/gyoza/potstickers) recipe everyone in the family will love! Perfect appetizer for any meals or parties!

WHAT IS “MANDU”?

Mandu is what Korean people call dumplings/potstickers/gyoza. I believe pretty much every culture has something similar to mandu in their cuisine. I mean what is there not to like about delicious filling wrapped in a thin piece of dough and cooked? Most people are familiar with the fried or steamed cooking method. But mandu/dumplings in a soup or a stew are super delicious as well.

Mandu was one of my favorite street snacks growing up in Korea. I was trying to re-create the mandu from a street vendor that I used to go to all the time in my hometown. And I’m happy to report that this is pretty darn close to the one from my childhood!

INGREDIENTS IN HOMEMADE KOREAN VEGGIE TOFU MANDU/DUMPLINGS:

Tofu – Most mandu/dumplings in Korea are made with ground meat (often pork or beef). Crumbled tofu provides a similar texture as meat and the combination of soy sauce and minced garlic gives the tofu a savory flavor that will even satisfy the meat-eater.
Korean glass noodles (sweet potato noodles) – This is called Dang-Myun (Korean sweet potato glass noodles). This noodle is the main ingredient in Japchae (a very popular Korean noodle dish). I have a delicious vegan Japchae recipe you will love, right here!
Vegetables – Along with tofu and Korean glass noodles, it has green onion, carrot, and cabbage. 

TIPS ON HOW TO FOLD MANDU:

I like to wet the edge of the wrapper with water first and add the fillings after. Water will act as glue and help seals the mandu.
Do not add too much filling. If you add too much filling, it would be hard to seal the wrapper.
There are many different ways to fold the mandu. If you are not comfortable folding the mandu like the picture above, you can simply fold it in half and press the edge together to ensure that it’s completely sealed.

HOW TO COOK AND STORE THE MANDU?

You can steam them – In a steamer, steam the mandu for about 12-15 minutes on medium to medium-low heat.
You can pan fry them – This is my preferred method. Pan-fry the mandu until the bottom is golden brown on medium-high heat, about 2-3 minutes. And add about 2-3 tablespoons of water and place a lid on top. Lower the heat to low and steam the mandu for about 3-4 minutes.
This recipe will make about 48 – 50 mandu. Unless you are having a big party, you won’t be able to eat them all. The great news is that mandu freezes very well. Place the uncooked mandu on a tray with enough spaces between each mandu. Freeze for an hour. When the mandu/dumplings freeze completely, you can transfer them into a freezer-safe bag. 

HOMEMADE KOREAN VEGGIE TOFU MANDU/DUMPLINGS


Homemade Korean Veggie Tofu Mandu/dumplings – Delicious vegan-friendly mandu (dumplings/gyoza/potstickers) recipe everyone in the family will love! Perfect appetizer for any meals or parties!

Author: George
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 48 mandu/dumplings 1x
Category: Appetizer
Method: Pan fried
Cuisine: Korean
Diet: Vegan

ingredients
SCALE 1X2X3X


For mandu/dumplings

• 1 block of tofu, squeeze the water out, and crumbled
• 100g Korean glass noodles, cooked and cut into very small pieces
• 3 green onion, minced (1/2 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 and 1/2 cup shredded cabbage
• 1 small carrot, grated (1/3 cup)
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 packages of mandu/dumpling wrapper

Dipping sauce

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (white vinegar or rice vinegar will do as well)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons of agave nectar 

instructions


Making the fillings

1. Place the shredded cabbage on a colander and sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Cook the Korean glass noodles according to its package (about 8 minutes). Drain and rinse the noodles under cold water and squeeze out as much water as possible. Cut the noodles into very small bite-size pieces using kitchen scissors. Transfer the noodles into a large bowl.
3. Add the crumbled tofu, minced green onion, and garlic to the mixture. 
4. Squeeze as much water as possible from the salted cabbage. Cut the cabbage into smaller pieces using kitchen scissors. Add the cut cabbage into the mixture. 
5. Add the soy sauce to the mixture and mix until everything is well incorporated. 

Making the mandu/dumplings

1. Grab a piece of the dumpling wrapper. Wet the edge with some water.
2. Add about 1 heaping teaspoon of the fillings in the middle of the wrapper.
3. Fold the wrapper in half and press the edge to ensure the mixture will be enclosed in a wrapper (the water acts as a glue and should seal the mandu/dumpling). 

How to cook mandu/dumplings (Pan-frying)

1. Add about 1 – 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil on a non-stick pan. 
2. Add the prepared dumplings to the pan. Make sure they are not touching each other (they may stick together during the cooking process if you don’t separate them). 
3. Fry the mandu/dumplings until the bottoms are golden brown, about 2-3 minutes (if you are cooking frozen mandu, it will take a longer time, couple more minutes). 
4. Reduce the heat to love and add 3-4 tablespoons of water to the pan. Cover the pan with a lid and continue to cook for 4-5 minutes. 
5. Enjoy and serve with dipping sauce. 

Notes

This recipe will make about 48 to 50 mandu/dumplings. Mandu/dumplings freeze well. To freeze them, place the mandu/dumplings on a freezer friend plate (I use a small metal baking sheet) and freeze them until they are firm about 45 to 60 minutes. Transfer the frozen dumpling into a freezer bag.

This recipe and image sources are referred in website: Myeclecticbites.com. Thanks so much!