Kaesong-mandu (개성만두, Kaesong New Year Dumplings)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Rolling pin and 4.5 to 5-inch (11 to 12 cm) round cutter or small plate
• •Wide 5 to 6 quart pot for broth
• •Large rimmed tray dusted lightly with flour or lined with parchment
• •Clean kitchen towel for squeezing tofu, sprouts, and kimchi
• •Instant-read thermometer for checking pork filling

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Stir the flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Pour in the warm water slowly, mixing with chopsticks or your fingers until shaggy, then knead 7 to 8 minutes until smooth. Rub with 1 teaspoon oil, cover, and rest 30 minutes. Resting is not idleness. It relaxes the dough so you can roll a thin skin that stretches around the filling instead of fighting your hands.

   The dough should feel firm but pliable, not sticky. If dry flour remains after kneading, add water 1 teaspoon at a time. If it sticks to the table, dust lightly and keep kneading.
2. 2

   Simmer the broth

   Put the beef, 12 cups cold water, onion, 4 crushed garlic cloves, scallion white, and peppercorns in a wide pot. Bring it just to a boil, skim the gray foam, then lower the heat and simmer gently 75 minutes. Do not let it roll hard, or the broth clouds. Strain, season with soup soy sauce and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and add water if needed to make about 10 cups finished broth.

3. 3

   Dry the filling

   Press the tofu between towels for 20 minutes, then crumble it fine. Blanch the mung bean sprouts in boiling water for 2 minutes with the lid off, drain, cool, chop into 1/2-inch pieces, and squeeze hard in a towel. Squeeze the chopped kimchi the same way. Wet filling breaks dumplings. This is where many New Year bowls are lost before the soup even begins.

4. 4

   Season and test

   In a large bowl, mix the ground pork with soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, sesame oil, minced garlic, ginger, pepper, and potato starch until the meat turns sticky, about 1 minute. Add the tofu, sprouts, kimchi, chives, scallions, beaten egg, and crushed sesame seeds. Mix by hand until even, then fry 1 teaspoon of filling in a small pan and taste it cooked. If it tastes flat, add another 1/4 teaspoon salt to the bowl. Never taste raw pork filling.

   Keep the filling cold while you roll the wrappers. Cold filling holds its shape, and shaped mandu seal more cleanly.
5. 5

   Roll the wrappers

   Divide the rested dough into 16 pieces, about 26g each, and keep them covered. Roll each piece into an 11 to 12 cm round, leaving the center just a little thicker and the rim thin. Notebook 29 says the wrapper should show the filling's shadow but not tear. Dust only enough to prevent sticking, because too much flour keeps the edges from sealing.

6. 6

   Shape the mandu

   Set one wrapper in your palm and place about 3 tablespoons, or 48 to 50g, filling in the center. Wet the rim lightly, fold into a half-moon, and press from the center outward to push out trapped air. Pleat or pinch the edge firmly, then bring the two corners together and seal them so the dumpling sits plump and round. Cover finished mandu with a towel as you work.

7. 7

   Cut the jidan

   Beat the egg yolks and whites separately, each with a small pinch of salt. Wipe a skillet with oil and cook each in a thin sheet over low heat, just until set. Cool, then cut into fine threads. Yellow and white jidan (egg garnish) are not decoration only; they make the New Year bowl look cared for without muddying the broth.

8. 8

   Poach the mandu

   Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil. Cook the mandu in batches, 9 to 10 minutes for fresh or 13 to 15 minutes from frozen, stirring once so they do not stick to the bottom. They should float, the skins should turn slightly translucent, and the pork filling should reach 160F (71C) in the center. A hard boil tears the skins, so keep the water lively but not violent.

9. 9

   Serve manduguk

   Bring the seasoned beef broth back to a gentle simmer. Transfer two cooked mandu to each bowl and ladle hot broth around them, or warm the cooked mandu in the broth for 1 to 2 minutes before serving. Finish with jidan, scallion, and gim. The bowl should be clear, generous, and calm: two dumplings, enough broth to carry them, nothing shouting over the filling.

Chef Tips

• •Pork shoulder is better than very lean pork. A little fat keeps the filling tender, and tofu and sprouts lighten it so the dumpling does not eat like a meatball.
• •Store-bought large mandu wrappers are a safe corner to cut. Choose thin 4.5 to 5-inch wrappers and keep them covered so the edges do not dry. The filling still has to be squeezed dry. That corner is not negotiable.
• •If your kimchi is very sharp or salty, rinse it quickly, squeeze it dry, and chop it fine. The kimchi should wake the pork and tofu, not turn the whole bowl into kimchi soup.
• •For the clearest holiday broth, poach the mandu in water first and warm them in the broth. On an ordinary winter night, you can cook them directly in the broth and accept a little cloudiness. 시대가 바뀌면 음식도 바뀌어야 해요. When times change, food must change too.
• •The strained beef from the broth is not waste. Shred it, season with a few drops of sesame oil and soup soy sauce, and serve it as a small banchan beside the manduguk.

Advance Preparation

• •The beef broth can be made 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Chill it, lift off the hardened fat, and season it when reheating.
• •The filling can be mixed up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated, covered tightly. Because it contains raw pork, keep it cold and do not leave it on the counter while rolling.
• •Shaped uncooked mandu freeze well. Set them on a tray until firm, then bag them for up to 2 months. Cook from frozen without thawing, adding 4 to 5 minutes to the poaching time.
• •Jidan can be made the morning of serving and kept covered at room temperature for a few hours, or refrigerated for a day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 510g)