Recipe: Korean Fried Vegetable Dumplings

Better known in Korea as Mandu, Korean Fried Vegetable Dumplings are easy to make and make an excellent dish to serve to your hungry guests.

With the right ingredients, you can have these dumplings ready in just less than two hours, less if you have excellent dumpling folding skills.

Ingredients:

• One pack of dumpling skins (60 pieces)
• ½ cup of cabbage, finely chopped
• 8 oz of Shitake Mushroom
• 8 oz of Zucchini, finely chopped
• ¾ cup of carrots, grated/finely chopped
• ½ medium onion, finely chopped
• 3-oz tofu
• ½ cup of cooked rice vermicelli
• One tbsp of sesame seed
• ½ tbsp of sesame oil
• Two tsp of soy sauce
• 1 tsp of garlic powder
• One tsp of ginger, minced
• One egg
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation Method:

1. Heat tofu in the microwave for 1 minute. Drain any excess water using a paper towel and mash the tofu.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seed, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, onion, rice vermicelli, the mashed tofu and mix well. Add the egg, salt and pepper to bind the ingredients together.
3. To make the dumpling, place a spoonful of the fillings in the centre of the dumpling skin. Wet your finger and fold the sides of the dumpling together. Fold the dumplings in layers around the edges to secure the fillings. Traditionally, the folds will form a wave pattern. Repeat this step until you have used up all the fillings.
4. Place the dumplings on a tray that is drizzled with flour to prevent the dumplings from sticking to each other.
5. To fry the dumplings, heat olive oil in a pan under medium heat and cook about 4 to 5 dumplings each time. Fry the dumplings until they turn golden brown for about 2 minutes on each side. Add water till about 1/3 of the pan and cover the lid for the dumplings to cook evenly.
6. Serve the dumplings with dipping sauce. Mix soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, water and red pepper flakes to prepare the sauce.
7. Mix all the ingredients until fully combined.
8. Serve your guests the Korean fried dumplings on its own or as a starter to your Korean meal course.

Pro-Tip:  You can add minced beef or pork for those of you who want to add some protein to your Korean fried vegetable dumplings.