FRIED KOREAN DUMPLINGS (YAKI MANDU)

 Make fried Korean dumplings (yaki mandu) with this easy recipe. These little crispy pouches of deliciousness are filled with ground pork, vegetables, and a few different seasonings to make it extra delicious. The dumplings are then fried to a golden brown and crispy perfection. Be prepared to make more than you think you need because everyone will devour these!

“Yaki” means fried in Japanese and “mandu” means dumpling in Korean. These little meat and vegetable-filled Korean dumplings are great as an appetizer. However, our family is known to eat a bunch of these as a meal. Don’t judge us! These Korean dumplings are so good and once you eat one, you’ll understand why it is so easy to eat a bunch of these in one sitting. 

Ingredients

1 cabbage head, minced (about 2 cups)

1 large yellow onion, minced (about 1 cup)

½ cup carrots, minced

5 green onions, minced (about 1 cup)

1 lb ground pork

2 tsp salt

1 tsp Dasida beef flavor soup powder

½ tsp ground black pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

½ tsp soy sauce

1 package (12oz) Won Ton Wraps

5 tsp avocado oil

4 servings of our Dumpling Dipping Sauce (optional)

Instructions

First, we’re going to stir-fry the vegetables and ground pork each separately, using the same frying pan for each ingredient (which means fewer dishes to wash). Place a frying pan on medium-high heat and add about a teaspoon of oil. Once the pan is hot, add in the minced cabbage. Stir fry the minced cabbage for about 2 minutes. Remove the cabbage from the frying pan into a medium to a large-sized bowl and set aside for later.

Next, add another teaspoon of oil to the same pan you used to cook the cabbage. Add in the minced onions and stir fry for about 3 minutes. Remove the minced onions from the pan and add into the bowl with the stir-fried cabbage.

Add another teaspoon of oil to the pan. Add the minced carrots to the pan and stir fry for about 3 minutes. Remove the minced carrots from the pan and add it into the bowl with the cabbage and onions.

Again, add another teaspoon of oil to the pan. Add the minced green onions and stir fry for about 1-2 minutes. Remove the minced green onions from the pan and add it into the bowl with the carrots, cabbage and onions.

Add a teaspoon of oil again to the same pan. Cook the ground pork on medium-high heat until browned and well-done. This will probably take about 15 minutes to ensure ground pork is completely browned. Once the ground pork is well done, add it into the bowl with the cooked minced vegetables. 

Next, add the remaining ingredients into the bowl with the meat and vegetable mixture. Mix together really well. We usually like to use our hands (clean hands of course) to really ensure everything is mixed together well. 

Now it’s time to fill the wonton wrappers. Add about a teaspoon of the mandu meat and vegetable mixture to the center of a wonton wrapper. Dip your finger into a small bowl of water and lightly put water on one-half of the wonton wrappers edge (one-side of the wonton wrapper will be completely dry and the other half will have a watered edge). Fold the wonton wrapper in half to create a triangle shape, and press down on the edges to create a nice seal. Next, let’s release any air pockets. Cup the finished dumpling in the palm of your hand and lightly press down with your other hand to release any air pockets in the dumpling. Press down on the edges again to ensure a good seal. Note: We like to try and release any air pockets so it doesn’t puff up and explode when frying.  

Add oil to your deep fryer and let it come up to temperature (350°F). Place your dumplings into the hot oil. Remember, everything inside the dumpling is cooked, so you’re just wanting to brown and crisp up the outside of these dumplings. It should only take about 2-3 minutes in the fryer. 

Place fried dumplings on a plate lined with paper towels to drain away excess oil. Continue frying the dumplings until they’re all fried and crispy.

Enjoy the best Korean dumplings (Yaki Mandu)! Don't forget to grab our quick and easy dipping sauce recipe if you would like a dipping sauce to go with these dumplings! However, these dumplings are delicious with no dipping sauce as well!

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