Mandu Pidumpling Wrappers Recipes

MANDU-PI/DUMPLING WRAPPERS

Steps:

• Combine 2 cups of flour, salt, and water in a large mixing bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until it turns into a lump. Then knead it by hand for a few minutes until the dough gets a little softer. Put it in a plastic bag to keep it from the air and let it sit for 10 to 30 minutes on the kitchen counter.
• Take the dough out of the plastic bag. It will be a little softer and moist and easier to handle. Knead it for 5 to 7 minutes, until it's smooth and elastic.
• Place the dough on a cutting board dusted with a bit of flour and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Put one half into the plastic bag to keep it from getting dried out as your work on the other half.
• Cut the piece of dough into 8 equal sized pieces. Roll each piece out with a rolling pin into 5½ to 6 inch round circle disks. They should be a little thinner on the edges than in the middle, because we'll eventually be pinching the edges together when we make mandu, so you don't want them too thick and doughy.
• Take the second half out of the bag and make mandu wrappers out of it using the same method.
• Use them right away to make mandu, or freeze them for later.

BUTTER MANDU (BUTTER DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Place the cabbage, ginger and garlic in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Place the cabbage mixture in a large bowl.
• Using your hands, fold the ground pork into the cabbage mixture just enough to combine. Evenly sprinkle it with the salt and fold it in. Gently fold the butter into the mixture until thoroughly combined.
• To assemble the mandu, place about 2 tablespoons of the filling in the center of each wrapper. Be careful not to overfill or the filling could leak while cooking. (If your wrappers are small, decrease the amount of filling per dumpling; the mandu should be full but not hard to close.) Dip your fingertip in a glass of water and paint the edge of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper over to form a half-moon and pinch the edges together to seal. (This is the easiest fold, for simplicity's sake, but you can fold your mandu in a number of fancy ways, like the pros do.) Mandu can be cooked right away or frozen for later (see below).
• TO STEAM:
• In a large pot, bring a few cups of water to a boil over high heat and insert a lightly oiled steaming basket above the water; do not submerge it. Carefully place the dumplings in the basket in one layer. Cover and steam for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the wrapper is a little translucent and the filling feels firm. Serve immediately with kimchi and soy sauce.
• TO FRY:
• Coat a sauté pan with some vegetable or sesame oil and place over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering-hot, place the fresh or thawed mandu in the pan, just enough to fit comfortably in one layer, and sauté each side for a few minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Serve with kimchi and soy sauce.