History

Mandu arrived in Korea via Mongol military traders in the 14th century and naturalised across royal court and peasant kitchens. Bukchon Son Mandu traces back to 1953, when the Lee family brought their Hamheung dumpling recipes south to Seoul during the postwar resettlement; the original Insadong shop still hand-folds every dumpling, and the third generation now runs it with additional branches in Myeongdong, Dongdaemun, and Seongsu. Gwangjang Market dumpling stalls and Tongin Market are the cheaper street references.

Common allergens: Gluten, Soy, Sesame, Egg

Make it at home

Yield 40Hands-on 1 hrTotal 1 hr 30 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • For the dough: 400g all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 220ml warm water (or use ready-made round mandu wrappers)
  • For the filling: 400g ground pork (20 percent fat), 200g firm tofu (squeezed dry and crumbled), 150g well-fermented kimchi (drained and finely chopped), 80g Korean chives or chopped scallions, 1 small bundle dangmyeon (sweet potato glass noodles), softened and chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 1 thumb fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • For pan-frying (gun-mandu): 3 tbsp neutral oil, 100ml water for steaming
  • Dipping sauce: 4 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes)
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 chopped scallion

Method

  1. If making dough from scratch, mix flour, salt, and warm water; knead 8 minutes to a smooth elastic dough. Rest 30 minutes covered. Roll out and cut 8cm rounds with a glass.
  2. Squeeze the kimchi as dry as possible; squeeze the tofu in a clean cloth until very dry.
  3. Combine pork, tofu, kimchi, chives, softened glass noodles, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, sugar, pepper, and egg in a large bowl. Mix vigorously for 3 minutes until tacky.
  4. Place a tablespoon of filling in the centre of each wrapper. Wet the edge with water and pleat: fold in half, pinch the centre, then make 4 small pleats on each side toward the centre. Press firmly to seal.
  5. For boiled mandu: drop into boiling water for 4 minutes, until they float and the wrapper is translucent. Serve immediately.
  6. For pan-fried gun-mandu: heat oil in a wide skillet, arrange mandu flat-side down, cook 3 minutes until the base is golden.
  7. Pour 100ml water into the pan, cover immediately, steam 4 minutes until water evaporates and mandu are puffy.
  8. Whisk dipping sauce ingredients together. Serve mandu with the dipping sauce on the side.

Tip from the editors. Squeezing the kimchi and tofu dry is the single most important step; wet filling burst the wrappers and produces soggy mandu. Use full-fat ground pork; lean pork yields dry tough filling.

Where to eat mandu (korean dumplings)

Mandu (Korean Dumplings) in Seoul

Bukchon Son Mandu ★ 4.7

Korean₩₩Bukchon and SamcheongMon-Sun 11:00-20:00

Bukchon Son Mandu hides in the residential lanes above Bukchon-ro; jjin-mandu and gukbap mandu soup are the order, kitchen closes when dumplings run out.

Why locals love it: Sits in the residential lanes above the main Bukchon-ro tourist strip; the absence of English signage means most visitors walk past on the way to the hanok viewpoints.

Tip: Order the steamed pork dumplings (jjin-mandu) and the gukbap (mandu soup). The kitchen closes when dumplings run out -- arrive before noon.

84-1 Gyedong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Tongin Market ★ 4.4

Market₩Jongno and InsadongTue-Sun 10:00-17:00, closed Monday

Tongin Market: buy a dosirak tray and brass yeopjeon coins, fill the tray from banchan stalls across the market, then eat in the communal hall at the back.

18 Jahamun-ro 15-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Namdaemun Market ★ 4.5

Market₩Jung-gu and MyeongdongMon-Sat 06:00-20:00, Sun 08:00-18:00 (some stalls 24 hours)

Namdaemun is the largest traditional market in Korea, adjacent to Sungnyemun Gate, with hotteok stalls, kalguksu counters and 24-hour food lanes.

21 Namdaemunsijang 4-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul

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