Mandu (dumpling)

Mandu ( Kor. 만두 ) are in Korean cuisine dumplings with a filling of ground meat, similar to ravioli. Also possible are various vegetable fillings, including kimchi.

Variants

There are, in addition to the different fillings, different methods of preparation. You can boil, steam or fry them.

They are similar to pelmeni and pierogi of the Slavic cuisine and Bansch, Buuds (damped) or Chuuschuur ( fried) of Mongolian cuisine.

They are relatively frequently served in the fried version together with sesambestreuter soy sauce as an appetizer at Korean restaurants.

In Korean cuisine, the filling of the pieces is similar to the Turkish Mantı, the Chinese jiaozi and the Japanese gyoza. When the dumplings were fried, they are called Gunmandu ( 군만두 ).

Mandu are also presented in soup form ( Manduguk ) or as ingredients in stews ( Jeongol ) used.

Origin

The name is derived from the Chinese mantou, steamed dough pieces with or without filling. These are a legend by the time of the Three Kingdoms come, as Zhuge Liang, a military leader of Shu Han, the custom introduced to knead steamed bread pieces as imitations of the heads of prisoners.

Another tradition assumes that the dumplings have been brought by the Mongols during the Goryeo rule to Korea.