Mandu-guk

Dumplings cooked in the broth they are served in, which therefore must not be allowed to boil.

Pork, Fish, Egg, Tofu. Not vegetarian — contains fish, pork.

Ingredients

• 24 mandu, as on its own page, fresh or frozen
• 1.2 litres anchovy and kelp stock, as on its own page
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 courgette, in matchsticks
• 2 eggs
• 3 spring onions, sliced
• 1 sheet gim, crumbled
• salt and black pepper

Method

1. THE DUMPLINGS COOK IN THE BROTH AND IT MUST NOT BOIL. That is the constraint the whole dish is arranged around. Poaching them in the soup means the broth gets the seasoning that leaks out of them, which is why it is done this way -- but a rolling boil knocks them against each other and against the pan, the wrappers split, and the filling comes out into the bowl. A bare simmer where the surface barely moves, and they are not stirred.
2. AND IT ALSO MEANS THEY CANNOT BE COOKED AHEAD. Six to seven minutes, and they go in when everything else is ready and the bowls are warm. Dumplings standing in hot broth keep absorbing it and are swollen and slack within ten minutes.
3. FROZEN MANDU GO IN FROZEN. Thawed first, the wrappers turn sticky and tear as they are separated, and they will already be leaking before they reach the pot.
4. THE BROTH IS SKIMMED WHILE THEY POACH. Flour comes off the wrappers and collects as a pale scum; lifted off, the soup stays clear.
5. THEY ARE DONE WHEN THEY FLOAT AND THE WRAPPER GOES TRANSLUCENT at the edge, which is a sight rather than a time -- a fresh mandu takes five minutes and a frozen one nearer eight.
6. Mandu made as on its own page, or taken from the freezer and NOT thawed.
7. The stock brought to a simmer with the garlic and soy sauce. Tasted and salted.
8. The courgette added and cooked 2 minutes.
9. The heat adjusted until the surface BARELY MOVES.
10. The mandu lowered in one at a time with a spoon, not tipped in.
11. Poached 6 to 7 MINUTES without stirring, the scum skimmed off as it rises, until they float and the wrappers are translucent.
12. The eggs beaten and poured in a thin stream round the edge of the pan. Left 10 seconds, then stirred once gently.
13. Taken off the heat.
14. Lifted into warm bowls with a slotted spoon, the broth ladled over, and the spring onions, gim and black pepper scattered on. Served at once.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under South Korea · All recipes