Twigim-mandu (Deep-Fried Dumplings)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide heavy pot, 4-quart size or larger
• •Deep-fry thermometer
• •Wire rack set over a tray
• •Spider skimmer or long-handled slotted spoon
• •Clean kitchen towel for squeezing cabbage and tofu

Instructions

1. 1

   Salt the cabbage

   Toss the chopped napa cabbage with 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt and leave it 15 minutes. Squeeze it hard in a clean towel until no more liquid runs. Wet filling splits wrappers and spits in hot oil, so this small step saves both the dumpling and your arm.

2. 2

   Soften the noodles

   Soak the dangmyeon in hot water for 15 minutes, then boil 3 minutes until just tender. Drain, rinse briefly, and chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Use 70g dried noodles, not a fistful. Too much noodle makes the filling springy and empty, like a shop stretching the batch too far.

3. 3

   Press the tofu

   Wrap the tofu in a towel and press it under a plate for 10 minutes, then crumble it fine. Tofu lightens the pork and keeps the filling tender, but only if the water is pressed out first. Damp tofu makes the center loose.

4. 4

   Mix the filling

   In a large bowl, mix the pork, pressed tofu, chopped noodles, squeezed cabbage, chives, onion, carrot, scallions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, fish sauce if using, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and sesame seeds. Mix in one direction with your hand for 2 minutes, until the pork turns sticky and holds the vegetables together. That stickiness is the binder. Egg is not needed if your hand does its work.

5. 5

   Taste the seasoning

   Cook 1 teaspoon of filling in a small pan and taste it. It should be savory, lightly garlicky, and not salty enough to tire the mouth, because the dipping sauce will finish it. Adjust with 1/4 teaspoon salt only if it tastes flat. 손맛 is real; I measure it anyway, so the next batch knows where to begin.

   Do not taste raw pork filling. Fry or pan-cook a spoonful first, then correct the seasoning.
6. 6

   Fold the mandu

   Put 1 level tablespoon filling in the center of each wrapper. Wet the edge with water, fold into a half-moon, and press out every pocket of air before sealing. Pleat if you like, but seal first. Air expands in oil and opens the dumpling like a bad mouth.

7. 7

   Chill before frying

   Lay the mandu on a tray without touching and chill 15 minutes, uncovered. This dries the surface slightly and firms the folds. A dry, cold wrapper blisters better than a warm sticky one.

8. 8

   Start in cold oil

   Put the mandu in a wide heavy pot and add enough cold oil to cover them by 1 inch, about 6 cups in a 4-quart pot. Set the pot over medium heat. Starting cold lets the filling cook through as the wrapper gradually browns, the way old bunsik shops did when they were frying many batches for a crowd.

   Do not fill the pot more than halfway with oil. Oil rises when the dumplings go in, and crowded frying is how a small snack becomes a kitchen problem.
9. 9

   Fry until blistered

   As the oil heats, turn the mandu gently every few minutes. When the oil reaches about 325°F, keep frying until the wrappers are golden, blistered, and firm, 10 to 12 minutes from the time the heat went on. The pork filling must reach 160°F in the center. If the wrappers darken too fast, lower the heat. Brown skin and raw center is not cooking, it is impatience.

10. 10

    Drain and dip

    Lift the mandu to a rack, not paper towels, and rest 3 minutes so the crust stays crisp. Stir the dipping sauce together: 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon water, and gochugaru if you want heat. Eat them too hot, then slow down before you burn yourself twice.

Chef Tips

• •Store-bought mandu wrappers are a proper modern convenience. Choose the thicker round kind sold for mandu, not very thin wonton skins, which blister fast and tear around this much filling.
• •Keep the filling dry. Squeezed cabbage, pressed tofu, and drained noodles are not fussing. They are the difference between a crisp dumpling and one that leaks into the oil.
• •Fry from cold only for raw homemade mandu. If you are frying frozen fully cooked commercial dumplings, follow the package or fry at 325°F to 350°F so they do not soak up oil while thawing.
• •Serve with vinegar soy, tteokbokki sauce for dragging, or a simple bowl of danmuji (yellow pickled radish). Do not bury the dumpling under a sweet sauce before anyone can taste the filling.

Advance Preparation

• •The filling can be mixed up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated, tightly covered. Cook a small spoonful again before folding, because cold dulls salt and you may need a small correction.
• •Folded raw mandu can be frozen on a tray until solid, then bagged for up to 1 month. Fry them from frozen in 325°F oil rather than starting cold, adding 2 to 3 minutes, until the filling reaches 160°F.
• •Fried mandu are best within 10 minutes. To re-crisp leftovers, heat them on a rack in a 375°F oven or air fryer for 6 to 8 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 190g)