Savory Beef Mandu, Sweet Gochujang (Print View)
Crispy pan-fried beef mandu with napa cabbage, garlic and ginger, finished with a sweet-spicy gochujang glaze.
# What You Need:
→ Mandu Filling
01 - 10.5 oz ground beef
02 - 1 cup napa cabbage, finely chopped
03 - ½ cup onion, finely chopped
04 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced
05 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
06 - 1 tbsp ginger, grated
07 - 1 tbsp soy sauce
08 - 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
09 - 1 tbsp mirin
10 - 1 tsp sugar
11 - ¼ tsp ground black pepper
12 - 1 egg
→ Assembly
13 - 30 round dumpling wrappers
14 - Small bowl of water for sealing
→ Sweet Gochujang Glaze
15 - 2 tbsp gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
16 - 2 tbsp honey
17 - 1½ tbsp soy sauce
18 - 1 tbsp rice vinegar
19 - 1 tbsp sesame oil
20 - 1 tsp garlic, minced
21 - 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds for garnish
→ Cooking
22 - 2–3 tbsp vegetable oil
23 - ¼ cup water for steaming during frying
# How-To Steps:
01 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, napa cabbage, onion, green onions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, mirin, sugar, black pepper, and egg. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are evenly incorporated and the mixture holds together.
02 - Place a dumpling wrapper in the palm of your hand. Spoon 1 rounded teaspoon of filling into the center. Moisten the wrapper edges with water, fold into a half-moon shape, and pinch firmly to seal, creating pleats along the edge if desired. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
03 - In a small saucepan, combine the gochujang, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and minced garlic. Simmer over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the glaze thickens slightly and becomes glossy. Remove from heat and set aside.
04 - Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange the mandu in a single layer without overcrowding. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the bottoms develop a deep golden crust.
05 - Pour ¼ cup of water into the skillet and immediately cover with a lid. Steam for 3 to 4 minutes until the wrappers become translucent and the filling cooks through. Uncover and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes until the water fully evaporates and the bottoms regain their crispness.
06 - Transfer the cooked mandu to a serving platter. Drizzle or brush generously with the warm gochujang glaze. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately while crisp.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- The pan frying then steaming method gives you a wrapper that is crispy on the bottom and tender on top without deep frying.
- That gochujang glaze is sweet, spicy, and glossy enough to make every dumpling look like it came from a restaurant.
- You can freeze a whole batch raw and cook them straight from frozen on busy weeknights.
02 -
- Keep a damp paper towel over your stack of wrappers because they dry out fast and cracked wrappers mean leaked filling.
- Do not crowd the pan during cooking because mandu need space to crisp properly and crowded dumplings steam each other into sogginess.
- Freeze any uncooked mandu in a single layer on a parchment lined tray before transferring to a bag, and cook them from frozen with an extra minute of steaming time.
03 -
- Let the filling sit in the fridge for twenty minutes before assembling because chilled filling is easier to portion and the flavors meld together.
- Brush the glaze on with a silicone pastry brush instead of drizzling it so every dumpling gets an even coat without pooling.