Mandu-jeongol (Korean Dumpling Hot Pot)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide shallow jeongol pan or 12-inch shallow braiser
• •Portable tabletop burner
• •Fine strainer
• •Small ladle and individual serving bowls

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the broth

   Put the water, kelp, anchovies, and dried shiitake mushrooms in a pot over medium heat. When the water reaches a gentle simmer, lift out the kelp. Leave it too long and the broth turns slick and faintly bitter. Simmer the anchovies and mushrooms 15 minutes more, then strain. Reserve the shiitake, slice them thin, and discard the anchovies.

   Remove the anchovy heads and dark guts before cooking. That small minute is the difference between clean broth and a pot that tastes harsh.
2. 2

   Season the base

   Measure 6 cups of the strained broth for the hot pot and keep the rest warm for topping up at the table. Season the 6 cups with 1 tablespoon soup soy sauce, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce if using. Taste it now. It should be savory but lighter than soup you would eat alone, because the mandu, tofu, and vegetables will season it as they cook.

3. 3

   Mix red seasoning

   For a red broth, stir together the gochugaru, gochujang, soup soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, sugar, and black pepper in a small bowl. Use all of it for a gently red pot, not a heavy one. Mandu-jeongol should still taste of dumpling, cabbage, mushroom, and broth. If you want a clear pot, skip this paste and serve gochugaru at the table.

4. 4

   Arrange the pot

   In a wide shallow jeongol pan, lay the radish and onion on the bottom so they sweeten the broth and keep the dumplings from sticking. Arrange the napa cabbage, tofu slabs, sliced shiitake, enoki, oyster mushrooms, carrot, scallions, and mandu in separate groups, radiating around the pan by color. This is not decoration only. A jeongol carries several ingredients arranged together, and each one should be easy to see and easy to lift out when it is ready.

5. 5

   Start at table

   Set the pan on a portable burner at the table. Pour in 5 cups of the seasoned broth from the side of the pan, not directly over the mandu, so the arrangement stays intact. Spoon the red seasoning paste into the center if using. Bring it to a gentle simmer, then lower the heat so the edge bubbles steadily without rolling hard.

6. 6

   Cook gently

   Simmer fresh mandu 6 to 8 minutes, or frozen mandu 9 to 11 minutes, turning them once with a spoon only if needed. Do not stir the pot like jjigae. Dumpling skins tear when pushed around, and a broken mandu clouds the broth. Add more reserved broth as the level drops, 1/2 cup at a time.

7. 7

   Finish the greens

   When the mandu are cooked through and the cabbage is tender at the thick stem, lay the minari or crown daisy across the top. If using beaten egg, drizzle it in a thin circle around the pan and let it set for 30 seconds before serving. The greens go in last because their bitterness and perfume are pleasant when fresh and muddy when boiled too long.

8. 8

   Serve and refill

   Serve directly from the center pot into individual bowls, taking one mandu, a piece of tofu, vegetables, and broth in each serving. Keep the burner low while people eat. If the table is still hungry, add more mandu or a handful of cooked knife-cut noodles to the remaining broth and simmer gently until done. Write down which mandu you used and how much salt the broth needed. 손맛 is real. I still measure it, so it can be handed on.

Chef Tips

• •Choose mandu with a sturdy skin and a filling that is not too sweet. Kimchi mandu are excellent here, but if they are very spicy, keep the broth clear so the pot does not become one flat red note.
• •The safe shortcut is frozen mandu. The unsafe shortcut is weak broth. Make the anchovy-kelp broth properly, pull the kelp on time, and season lightly before the pot goes to the table.
• •If you want beef in the pot, add 150g thinly sliced brisket or ribeye with the mushrooms. Lay it in loose folds so it cooks quickly. Do not add thick stew meat, because jeongol is a table simmer, not a long braise.
• •Leftover broth is precious. Strain it, chill it, and the next day cook rice cakes or noodles in it. Eat leftovers within 2 days and bring the broth back to a full simmer before serving.

Advance Preparation

• •The anchovy-kelp-shiitake broth can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Season it lightly only after reheating, because cold broth hides salt.
• •Vegetables can be washed, cut, and stored separately up to 1 day ahead. Keep mushrooms dry and greens wrapped in a barely damp towel.
• •Do not thaw frozen mandu before arranging the pot unless the package instructs it. Partly thawed mandu turn sticky and tear more easily.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 570g)