Whipping up homemade dumplings is more than just a fun cooking project for me; it brings me back to my Korean roots
There’s something special about getting your hands into the dough, prepping the fillings, and shaping each dumpling. It’s not just about making a meal; it’s about keeping my culture alive in every tasty bite. Plus, let’s be honest, they always turn out yummier than anything I’ve found in a restaurant.
What happens when we change our perspective from “having” to cook into “getting the chance to cook for ourselves or our family.”
Kimchi Dumpling
Ingredients
- Dumpling Wrappers https://amzn.to/3TqH2VC
Filling
- 2 ounces dangmyeon sweet potato starch noodles soaked in warm water for about 30 min. https://amzn.to/48n7IuA
- 1 cup packed finely chopped kimchi
- 8 ounces tofu
- 10 ounces mung bean sprouts https://amzn.to/47XPf8f
- 1/2 medium onion
- 2 to 3 scallions
- 8 ounces ground pork or beef or mix. Leave out if you want vegetarian
- 1 TBSP of minced garlic
- 1 tsp of finely grated ginger or juiced
- 1 TBSP of sesame oil
- 1 TBSP of soy sauce
- 1 TBSP gochugaru adjust to taste https://amzn.to/48cjMim
- salt to taste about 1/4 teaspoon
- pepper to taste about ⅛ teaspoon
Directions
- Finely chop and squeeze juice from kimchi.
- Blanch the bean sprouts in boiling water, drain, chop, and squeeze out water.
- Squeeze out water from the tofu. Using a cheesecloth will make squeezing easier. Finely chop the noodles. Finely chop the onion and squeeze out water. Finely chop the scallions.
- Combine all the filling ingredients in a large bowl.
- Place one heaping teaspoonful to a tablespoon of the filling on a wrapper. Wet the edges of the wrapper with water or egg wash and seal tightly (pushing the air out with your fingers) into a half-moon shape. (Please feel free to use it here for a half-moon-shaped dumpling. Then, bring the two ends together, apply water or egg wash to one end and press tightly to create a round shape. Repeat this process until all the filling/wrappers are used.
- Kimchi mandu can be steamed for 10 minutes in a steamer (12 minutes if frozen). Line the steamer with a wet cheesecloth, paper towel, or cabbage leaves to prevent the mandu from sticking.
- Enjoy with soy sauce or by itself.