KOREAN DUMPLINGS......wicked!

My knew venture at the moment is private cooking classes.  I create the menu to suit the customers needs, forward on the shopping list and recipes.  Arrive on the night and cook dinner with them whilst giving one-on-one cooking lessons.  They then sit down to a beautiful dinner (mostly created by themselves), i discreetly clean down and disappear.

One of the reason i am bringing the classes up is that the other night we did a class on "Steaming".  Which was moulded around Asian cuisine, the first course was Mandu Korean dumplings.  They were so good that i ended up making them with the children on Saturday and we had them for dinner that night.  The children loved them, they had chop sticks to use and  a little dipping sauce each.  It was a highly enjoyable dinner.

MANDU- KOREAN DUMPLINGS...

MANDU - KOREAN DUMPLINGS

These dumplings are very similar to the Japanese Gyoza dumplings. They are equally delicious if you pan fry them in a little oil.

Makes 35

200g pork mince

150g firm tofu, coarsely mashed with a fork

100g drained kimchi, finely chopped, plus extra to serve
2 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
1/2 spring onion, finely chopped
1 tsp sesame oil
35 round gow gee or round wonton wrappers
plain flour for dusting
sesame salt
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
2 tsp fine sea salt
dipping sauce
60ml soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

For the sesame salt, dry roast sesame seeds in a frying pan over medium-high heat until roasted (2-3minutes).  Cool slightly, set aside 1 tsp for dipping sauce, then pound with salt in a mortar and pestle until finely ground.

Combine pork, tofu, kimchi, chives, spring onion, sesame oil and a large pinch of freshly ground pepper in a bowl and season to taste with sesame salt (about 1 tsp) set aside.
Lay a few wrappers on a work surface, place a teaspoon of pork mixture in the centre of each, then brush the edges with a little water.  Fold in half to form a semi-circle, pleating the edges as you go and pressing them to seal. Set aside on a lightly floured board.  Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

Meanwhile, for the dipping sauce, combine ingredients and reserved roasted sesame seeds in a bowl. 

Cook the mandu in batches of boiling water until cooked (2-4 minutes or when they float to the surface).  Drain and serve with the dipping sauce, sesame salt and kimchi.

MANDU-KOREAN DUMPLINGS