Kimchi Mandu (Korean King-Size Kimchi Dumplings)
Big homemade wrappers pleated around a juicy filling of seasoned ground beef, chopped kimchi, tofu, sweet potato glass noodles and garlic chives, steamed and served with a sharp soy, vinegar and chile dipping sauce.
Mandu is the Korean word for dumplings, and Wikipedia says they are believed to have come to Korea from the Yuan dynasty in the 14th century, during the Goryeo dynasty, when Mongol rule relaxed the Buddhist court's ban on meat). A Goryeo folk song, "Ssanghwajeom," is about a dumpling shop run by a foreigner. Other accounts say dumplings came much earlier over the Silk Road. The name is a cousin of Turkish manti and Chinese mantou, which tells you how far the dumpling traveled.
Korean cooks steam them (jjin-mandu), boil them (mul-mandu), pan-fry them (gun-mandu) and make them king-size (wang-mandu). This recipe is from Maangchi, the Korean-born home cook whose YouTube channel and website teach Korean home cooking. She calls kimchi mandu "authentically Korean" and says she worked and reworked the ratio until she was fully satisfied. Two or three of these big dumplings, she says, make a meal.
Why it works the kitchen science
Precooking the beef
Browned meat with its juices seasons the whole filling, and the raw vegetables and kimchi stay fresh and bright in the steamer.
Noodles and tofu
Chopped glass noodles and crumbled tofu soak up the kimchi and meat juices, so the big dumplings stay juicy without leaking.
Step by step
- Step 1
Mix the flour, salt and water with a wooden spoon into a lump, knead a few minutes, then seal it in a plastic bag and rest 10 to 30 minutes. Knead again 5 to 7 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cut into 16 pieces and roll each into a 5 1/2- to 6-inch circle, thinner at the edge; keep them covered.
- Step 2
Mix the beef, garlic and ginger with the soy sauce, sugar, 2 tsp of the sesame oil and 1/2 tsp of the pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and stir-fry the beef until it is no longer pink and reads 160°F, about 4 minutes. Scrape it, with its juices, into a large bowl.
- Step 3
Bring 7 to 8 cups of water to a boil over medium-high heat, add the noodles, cover and cook 7 to 8 minutes, until completely soft. Rinse under cold water, drain and chop into small pieces.
- Step 4
Add the noodles, onion, chives and kimchi to the beef. Squeeze the tofu lightly by hand, crumble it in, and add the kosher salt and the remaining 1 tsp sesame oil and 1/2 tsp pepper. Mix well.
- Step 5
Put 2 or 3 spoonfuls of filling in the center of a wrapper. Fold it loosely in half, pinch the bottom of the fold, then push one side in to make a pleat, pinch it and keep pleating from alternate sides up to the top. Seal the end.
- Step 6
Bring water to a boil in a steamer and line the rack with parchment. Steam the mandu in batches, spaced apart because they swell, covered, 15 minutes, until the wrappers are cooked through and the center reads 165°F.
- Step 7
Stir together the dipping sauce and serve the mandu hot.
Kimchi Mandu (Korean King-Size Kimchi Dumplings)
Serves 6 · 16 large mandu · 1 hr 45 min total
Wrappers
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1/4 cup for dusting
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2/3 cup water
Filling
- 1/2 lb ground beef brisket (or ground pork belly or pork shoulder)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil, divided
- 1 tsp ground black pepper, divided
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 2 oz dangmyeon (sweet potato starch noodles)
- 1 cup minced onion (1/2 large onion)
- 1 1/2 cups chopped buchu (garlic chives), or 8 to 10 green onions
- 1 cup chopped kimchi
- About 3 1/2 oz (100 g) medium-firm tofu
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Dipping sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1/4 cup onion chunks
- 1 jalapeño or Korean green chile, chopped
- 1 tsp sugar (optional)
Method
- Mix the flour, salt and water with a wooden spoon into a lump, knead a few minutes, then seal it in a plastic bag and rest 10 to 30 minutes. Knead again 5 to 7 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cut into 16 pieces and roll each into a 5 1/2- to 6-inch circle, thinner at the edge; keep them covered.
- Mix the beef, garlic and ginger with the soy sauce, sugar, 2 tsp of the sesame oil and 1/2 tsp of the pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and stir-fry the beef until it is no longer pink and reads 160°F, about 4 minutes. Scrape it, with its juices, into a large bowl.
- Bring 7 to 8 cups of water to a boil over medium-high heat, add the noodles, cover and cook 7 to 8 minutes, until completely soft. Rinse under cold water, drain and chop into small pieces.
- Add the noodles, onion, chives and kimchi to the beef. Squeeze the tofu lightly by hand, crumble it in, and add the kosher salt and the remaining 1 tsp sesame oil and 1/2 tsp pepper. Mix well.
- Put 2 or 3 spoonfuls of filling in the center of a wrapper. Fold it loosely in half, pinch the bottom of the fold, then push one side in to make a pleat, pinch it and keep pleating from alternate sides up to the top. Seal the end.
- Bring water to a boil in a steamer and line the rack with parchment. Steam the mandu in batches, spaced apart because they swell, covered, 15 minutes, until the wrappers are cooked through and the center reads 165°F.
- Stir together the dipping sauce and serve the mandu hot.
Adapted from Maangchi, "King-size kimchi dumplings (Kimchi-wangmandu)" (posted September 9, 2014; updated June 24, 2023), 16 large dumplings: with the wrappers from Maangchi, "Dumpling wrappers (Mandu-pi)" (posted August 29, 2014; updated April 26, 2026), 16 large wrappers. We follow both as written: 2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 2/3 cup water, rested 10 to 30 minutes, kneaded 5 to 7 minutes and rolled to 5 1/2 to 6 inches; 1/2 lb ground beef brisket (or pork belly or shoulder) stir-fried with garlic, ginger, soy, sugar and sesame oil; dangmyeon boiled 7 to 8 minutes; and 15 minutes in the steamer. Maangchi cooks the meat until it is no longer pink; our 160°F check and the 6 servings are ours. Maangchi. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (3)
Tips
- Maangchi's alternative: pan-fry them in 2 tbsp oil over medium heat, turning until golden, then cover over low heat for a few more minutes.
- Freeze raw mandu on a tray lined with plastic wrap about 8 hours, then bag them for up to 3 months.
- Use well-fermented, sour kimchi; it gives the filling its savory kick.
- Store-bought large mandu wrappers work, but Maangchi says homemade ones taste better.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Mandu came to Korea with the Mongols. Disputed: Wikipedia gives the Yuan dynasty in the 14th century, an older Silk Road route, and a dumpling record in the Goryeosa tied to the year 1185.
- Mandu, manti and mantou are the same word. Documented as Wikipedia's account: the names are considered cognates.
- Steamed mandu beat fried mandu. Folklore: a matter of taste; Maangchi gives both methods.
- Kimchi mandu are spicier than other mandu. Documented as Wikipedia's account.
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