Hawaii's Share Your Table

Mandu is the Korean equivalent of Chinese won ton, another favorite comfort food for many folks. It is often made by the ladies of the house who gather to shape the dumplings and chat about their families and lives. It's a wonderful communal time for sharing stories and working together to produce a delicious meal.
     
Mandu is usually made with pork or beef or a combination of the two. Tofu and vegetables are also a part of the tasty filling with sesame oil providing a flavorful note. When making the filling, it's important to drain excess water from the tofu and the blanched vegetables. Too much water in the filling can weaken the wrapper and cause it to break while it is cooking.
     
Mandu wrappers are generally round and thicker than won ton wrappers. They are readily available in supermarkets. But if you shop at a noodle factory that makes wrappers of different thicknesses, examine a potsticker wrapper, slightly thinner than a mandu wrapper, preferable for a nice balance of wrapper to filling.
 
A good well seasoned beef or chicken broth is a must for mandu. Traditional garnishes include shredded egg pancake and green onions. Adding some crumbled toasted seaweed and a slice of red pepper would complete the symbolic five color combination of yellow, green, black, red and white (the mandu itself).

For a dumpling that's a little different, try our recipe for a tofu, mushroom and watercress filling. Serve it in soup or simply cooked with a dipping sauce.

Making dumplings take a little time but with many hands the task goes quickly. Dumplings can also be panfried and steamed like potstickers for a great meal. Or deep fry them for a crispy appetizer. Make lots of extra dumplings and freeze them – you'll be glad you did!