Introduced to Korea from Central Asia via China during the Goryeo period; the Korean form diverged from Chinese jiaozi in its use of tofu and glass noodle in the filling, and from Japanese gyoza in its generally thicker, chewier wrapper
Mandu (만두) is the Korean dumpling tradition — a category that encompasses steamed (찐만두), pan-fried (군만두), boiled (물만두), and deep-fried (튀김만두) variants, each with different wrapper thickness, fold style, and filling convention. The classic filling for gogi-mandu (고기만두) combines pork mince, firm tofu, glass noodles (당면), napa cabbage, garlic, ginger, green onion, ganjang, and sesame oil. The wrapper is made from plain wheat flour dough, rolled thin (2mm) for boiled mandu or slightly thicker (3mm) for pan-fried. The fold is the cook's signature: a half-moon (반달형) for soup, a pleated crescent for steamed, a flat-bottom dumpling (왕만두) for pan-frying.
Dipping sauce for steamed and pan-fried mandu: ganjang + rice vinegar + sesame oil + gochugaru. Boiled mandu served in clear broth (manduguk, 만두국) at Lunar New Year. The broth from manduguk, made rich by the filling releasing flavour through the wrapper, is as important as the dumplings themselves.
{"The cabbage and tofu must be salted, squeezed, and pressed completely dry before mixing with the filling — excess moisture makes the wrapper soggy","The ratio of pork fat matters: 20–30% fat in the mince provides the interior moisture that keeps the filling from drying out during cooking","Seal the wrapper with water around the edge and press firmly to eliminate air pockets — trapped air causes blowouts during boiling","For gun-mandu (pan-fried), start with a cold, lightly oiled pan, add dumplings, then add a splash of water and cover — this steam-then-crisp method is the technique"}
A practitioner adds a small cube of well-squeezed firm tofu to every mandu filling regardless of style — it lightens the texture and prevents the dense, heavy mouth-feel of all-meat filling. The kimchi-mandu (김치만두) filling uses finely chopped aged kimchi in place of fresh cabbage — the sourness permeates the filling during cooking and creates a notably more complex result. In Korea, mandu-making is a communal winter activity — families gather on Lunar New Year's Eve to fold hundreds of mandu together.
{"Insufficient moisture removal from cabbage and tofu — the wrapper becomes wet and breaks during cooking","Over-filling — the wrapper cannot be sealed tightly and splits during boiling or steaming","Skipping the cold-pan start for gun-mandu — hot pan causes the bottom to brown before the interior heats through"}