Dumplings

Dumplings

Dumplings are a food that consists of small pieces of dough, either cooked alone or wrapped around a filling. They can be based on flour, potatoes or bread, and may include meat, fish, vegetables, or sweets. They may be cooked by boiling, steaming, simmering, frying, or baking. They may have a filling, or there may be other ingredients mixed into the dough. Dumplings may be sweet or savoury. They can be eaten by themselves, in soups or stews, with gravy, or in any other way.

Ingredients:

1 cup of ground pork or lamb or no need

2 cups of ground beef

2 cups of chopped buchu (Asian chives)

4-5 soaked Shiitake mushrooms

half onion

half package of tofu

3 cloves of minced garlic

salt

sugar

sesame oil

vegetable oil

fish sauce

egg

green onion

mandu skins (60 discs)

Method:

1.   Place 1 cup of ground pork/lamb/no need and 2 cups of ground beef into a big bowl.

2.   Add 1 ts of salt, 1 tbs of sesame oil, ½ ts of ground pepper and mix it by hand and push the mixture of meat on the side of the bowl.

3.   Wash some Asian chives (buchu), and dry well with a paper towel or cotton cloth. Chop them into 2 cups’ worth of chives. Add 1 tbs of oil and mix it up. Place it in the big bowl next to the ground meat.

4.   tip: the oil coats the vegetables so they retain their moisture

5.   Chop 4-5 soaked shiitake mushrooms and half an onion. Put them into a small bowl.

6.   Add 1 ts of soy sauce, 1 ts of sugar, and 2ts of sesame oil to the small bowl. Mix by hand and transfer it to the big bowl.

7.   Squeeze a half package of tofu with a cotton cloth or paper towel and put it into a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt and 1ts of sesame oil. Mix it by hand and then put it next to chopped chives.

8.   In the big bowl, add 3 cloves of minced garlic and mix all ingredients by hand. This is your mandu filling.

Now we’re ready to make mandu. For fried mandu:

1.    Put some of the filling mixture into the center of a mandu skin.

2.    Use your fingertips to apply a little cold water to one edge of the skin. This will act as a sealant when you fold it over.

3.    Fold skin in half over filling and press edges together to make ripple shape.

4.    Place some vegetable oil on heated pan and add the mandu you made.

5.    Lower the heat to low-medium and put the lid on the pan to cook.

6.    Turn over each mandu a few minutes later. Add 2-3 tbs of water and put the lid back on the pan. Cook a few minutes more over low heat.

7.    When the mandu is golden brown, transfer it to a plate.

8.    Serve hot with a dipping sauce made of equal parts vinegar and soy sauce.