If Korean mandu and Jewish kreplach had a love child, it would be these Korean beef dumplings I call Jew Mandu. Tender braised beef is wrapped in Korean-style dumpling wrappers, pan-fried until crispy, and served with a black vinegar dipping sauce and “hapa banchan” inspired by my family’s Korean, Hawaiian, and Jewish food traditions.
These homemade beef dumplings combine the savory comfort of traditional mandu with the nostalgic brisket-filled spirit of kreplach for a completely original fusion dumpling recipe.
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Jump to:
- What are mandu?
- Beth's Recipe Recap:
- Why you'll love these Korean beef dumplings
- Ingredients and substitutions for beef dumplings
- Make these Korean beef dumplings step-by-step!
- Beth's expert tips and recipe FAQs
- Storing/Freezing/Reheating Instructions
- Other Korean/Hawaiian recipes on OMG! Yummy
- Other Instant Pot recipes on OMG! Yummy
- Other beef brisket recipes on OMG! Yummy
- Korean Beef Dumplings (Jew Mandu)
- Hi! I'm Beth
What are mandu?
Mandu, which might also be spelled mondu, mun doo, mon doo, are the Korean version of a savory dumpling just as a potsticker is for Chinese cuisines or gyoza are for Japanese food or kreplach are for Ashkenazi Jews. Nearly every cuisine has a savory dumpling to love.
I love making my husband's Hawaiian family's traditional Korean beef dumplings or mandu recipe. These Jew Mandu are dumplings inspired by both Korean mandu and Jewish kreplach. The wrappers and folding technique are Korean while the filling more closely resembles the "leftover brisket" style filling you might find in traditional kreplach. This unique mandu/kreplach mashup is served with a black vinegar dipping sauce and three sides (banchan) that combine the flavors of Hawaii, Korea and our Jewish food traditions.
Beth's Recipe Recap:
- Texture: crispy, chewy
- Flavor profile: savory, tangy, comforting
- Yield: 72 dumplings
- Skill Level: medium
- Best cooking method: pan-fry
- Tools: pressure cooker, sheet pans, steamer or large frying pan
- Free From: dairy
- Storage: Freezer-friendly
Why you'll love these Korean beef dumplings
- Flavor: These dumplings were originally served at a chef event that featured recipes with Jewish and Asian food stories. These Korean kreplach that I call Jew Mandu held their own and more against all the unique and delicious recipes. Each element of these beef mandu from the leftover brisket-style filling to the black vinegar dipping sauce to the banchan contribute to a powerful punch of flavor in each bite.
- Make-ahead: Each element of the recipe, except the final cooking of the dumpling can be prepped ahead. Make the beef for the filling ahead; form the kreplach (mandu) ahead and freeze for later use; even the sauce can be ready to go.
- Unique appetizer or main course: When I developed this dumpling recipe, the main requirement was that it represent our family's Jewish Asian heritage and that it be an original recipe. I promise you and your guests will not have tasted anything like this before!
- Useful dumpling wrapping technique: Once you learn to form these dumplings, you'll be able to use the technique for any type of dumpling you want to make.
- The banchan! (pronounced pon tchan): Partially homemade and partially store-bought, totally delicious - quick-pickled red onions, purchased radish kimchi and quick-pickled cucumbers.
More about the Hapa Banchan: Hapa is a Hawaiian term for mixed heritage. The banchan reflect the mixed cultures of our family: Radish kimchi is Korean and it's my husband's favorite type of kimchi. Pickled red onions harken to my Jewish roots but pickles are prominent in Korean and Hawaiian cuisine too. And the pickled cucumbers are similar to what I remember my mom making growing up – just cucumbers and white vinegar but I used rice vinegar instead, a touch of salt and sugar and top them with sesame seeds, similar to the Korean cucumber salad on my blog.
Ingredients and substitutions for beef dumplings
- Chuck roast: Chuck roast is a great cut for flavor and affordability. Got leftover brisket or uncooked brisket, that could work here as well.
- Asian pear: This might be called Korean pear, Chinese pear, or apple pear. Always available in an Asian market but more and more frequently you will see these in big box grocery stores as well.
- Mandu wrappers (pi): I buy my dumpling wrappers at the Korean market - they are the biggest circular wrappers available, recommended with strong bias by an elderly Korean woman at the market (how could I not listen!). Mandu wrappers are usually bigger and thicker than a standard won ton or gyoza wrapper. But can you make these with a thinner smaller wrapper? Yes!
- Napa cabbage: Definitely available at any Asian market but should also be easily found at any regular grocery store.
- Braising liquid: No matter what type of meat I braise and whether I braise in the Instant Pot or in the oven, the liquid that remains after it cooks is so full of flavor. So we use that sauce with a little added black vinegar to create the dipping sauce for dumplings.
- Black vinegar: This is one of my favorite secret ingredients. It's inexpensive and available at any Asian market. It has so much flavor - use it in braising liquids, sauces, a quick sprinkle over broccoli for a busy weeknight dinner. See my cho jung dipping sauce post for another great use for black vinegar.
Beth's PRO TIP: Cook your meat the day before. Refrigerate the braising liquid separately from the meat. The fat will congeal at the top and you can toss the congealed fat (not down the drain). Now you have nothing but an umami rich liquid to use for the meat and the dipping sauce.
Make these Korean beef dumplings step-by-step!
(Printable recipe card is at the end of the post with ingredients, measurements and step-by-step instructions. This section includes more and larger pictures and high level explanations of the process.)
Marinate and cook the meat:
- Whisk together the beef broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and shredded Asian pear in a bowl large enough for the liquid and the meat. Let the meat marinate for at least a half hour (longer is good) while you prep the onions and get the pressure cooker ready.
- Saute the onions on sauté mode in your pressure cooker until they are translucent and just starting to brown. Add the meat and marinade to the pressure cooker on top of the onion. Set the pressure cooker for 70 minutes. Let it natural pressure release (NPR) for 10 minutes at the end. Then finish releasing the steam if necessary and carefully open.
- Check the meat for tenderness and if done, let it cool then refrigerate the meat separately from the sauce so you can easily remove the congealed fat from the sauce.
Make the beef dumpling filling:
- Chop the meat, cabbage and green onions into bite-size pieces and place in a medium bowl. Add a tablespoon or two of the braising liquid. Mix to combine.
Form the dumplings:
- Have wrappers nearby, covered, a bowl of water, sheet trays with parchment, a small spoon to portion the filling.
- Grab a wrapper and put about 1 tablespoon of filling in the center.
- Wet the outer edge of the wrapper and fold in half and seal carefully. Then wet the half moon edge and create folds by starting at one end and firmly pressing the edge over itself moving in the same direction to the other edge. Or simply use the tines of a fork and press it closed until you get comfortable with the pleating. Doesn't have to be perfect - give the pleat method a try. You'll get better with every dumpling you form!
Make the dipping sauce:
- I like to reduce the cooked sauce by 25 - 50% to create even more depth of flavor. Let the sauce cool and mix it with the black vinegar. That's all there is to it.
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Prepare the banchan:
- Pickled red onions - follow the instructions in this recipe post. Super easy and you can make them ahead.
- Radish kimchi - Buy it at a Korean market!
- Cucumbers - Slice a Persian or Korean cucumber (regular will work too - remove some seeds if there are a lot); add some salt and sugar and rice vinegar. Mix and let it sit while you prepare other elements. Top with roasted sesame seeds when ready to serve.
How to Cook Mandu: Boiled, Steamed, or Pan-Fried:
- Boil: Prepare a large pot of salted boiling water. If the mandu are not frozen, they should take about 1.5 minutes to float, then cook for another minute or two. If frozen, they will take 8 - 9 minutes to fully cook after you add them to the boiling water.
- Steam: If you have stacking steamer baskets, this method works well to prepare many at the same time.
- Pan-fry: We love this method because of the crispy and soft texture you end up with and how many you can cook at the same time.
- Serve the Korean kreplach with dipping sauce and the hapa banchan.
Beth's expert tips and recipe FAQs
- Prepare the meat for the filling ahead of time. The meat and remaining gravy are easier to work with cold than hot.
- All of the elements of the filling are fully cooked, so feel free to taste it and adjust the seasoning or amount of fresh cabbage or green onions or meat.
- Be sure to set up your dumpling assembly before starting to form the mandu. If you have helpers, each person should have their own bowl of water, stack of wrappers and access to a tray to put the dumplings on once folded.
- Pro-tip - if you plan to freeze the dumplings, place them on the tray separated from each other as you form them. Then put the tray directly into the freezer once it's filled with Jew Mandu, if you'd like.
Yes! Whether you are boiling, steaming, or pan-frying, they can go straight from the freezer to your cooking method. Just give them a little extra cooking time so the filling is heated through and the wrapper is fully cooked.
We love to pan fry them so you get a crispy side, a chewier soft side and the steamy filling. But we also boil them and steam them. Deep frying is another option but we rarely use that technique.
Do not overfill them. Stick to about a tablespoon of filling and be sure to fully seal the edges using water as glue.
Jew Mandu are dumplings inspired by both Korean mandu and Jewish kreplach. The wrappers and folding technique are Korean while the filling more closely resembles the "leftover brisket" style filling you might find in traditional kreplach. All of it reflects my family's multicultural background of Korean, Hawaiian, and Jewish heritages.
I serve them with what I call "hapa banchan" - side dishes that reflect my family's Jewish, Hawaiian and Korean backgrounds. I suggest a mix of pickled red onions, radish kimchi and simple pickled cucumbers.
Storing/Freezing/Reheating Instructions
- TO STORE: If not cooking beef dumplings right away, the best way to store them is to freeze them and store in freezer bags or other airtight reusable containers. Store frozen for up to 3 months.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze them uncooked. Lay on a parchment-lined baking tray so they are not touching each other. Place the tray in the freezer for about 1 hour. They should feel solid when frozen. Place each one in an airtight container or freezer bag.
- TO REHEAT: If you have leftover cooked dumplings, I recommend reheating very briefly in the microwave or on medium heat in a frying pan.
Other Korean/Hawaiian recipes on OMG! Yummy
Other Instant Pot recipes on OMG! Yummy
Other beef brisket recipes on OMG! Yummy
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Korean Beef Dumplings (Jew Mandu)
Beth LeeIngredients
To cook the beef
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast
- 2 cups beef broth
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and rough chopped
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 Asian pear peeled and shredded
- 1 onion chopped
To make the filling
- 4 - 5 napa cabbage leaves
- 6 green onions
- ¼ cup sauce from cooking beef
To form the dumplings
- mandu pi (wrappers) about 72 (number of packages will depend on brand)
Dipping sauce
- 1.5 cups reduced defatted sauce from beef
- 4-5 tablespoons black vinegar
Hapa Banchan
- store-bought radish kimchi
- pickled red onions
- ½ pound cucumbers Persian, Korean, or English
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Cook Beef
- Whisk together the beef broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and shredded Asian pear in a large bowl. Add the meat to the marinade for at least a half hour (longer is good) while you prep the onions and get the pressure cooker ready.
- Saute the onions on sauté mode in your pressure cooker until they are translucent and just starting to brown. Add the meat and marinade to the pressure cooker on top of the onion. Set the pressure cooker for 70 minutes.
- Let the pressure cooker natural pressure release (NPR) for 10 minutes at the end. Then finish releasing the steam if necessary and carefully open. Check the meat for tenderness and if done, let it cool then refrigerate the meat separately from the sauce so you can easily remove the congealed fat from the sauce. If it's not tender yet, continue to cook for 5 minutes at a time, always making sure to carefully release the pressure/steam from the unit before opening it again.
Prepare Filling
- Chop the meat, cabbage and green onions into bite-size pieces and place in a medium bowl. Add the braising liquid. Mix to combine.
Form Mandu
- Have wrappers nearby (covered), a bowl of water, baking sheets lined with parchment, a small spoon to portion the filling.Grab a wrapper and put about 1 tablespoon of filling in the center.
- Wet the outer edge of the wrapper and fold in half and press the edges to seal. Then wet the outer half moon edge and create folds by pushing and pressing the outer edge on to itself moving across the half moon until you are out of wrapper.
- Place each mandu on a sheet tray and keep the tray covered with a cloth. When you are done with each tray, place it in the refrigerator (or freezer). When all the dumplings are folded, you can cook some (of course!) or freeze or both.
Make the Dipping Sauce
- Reduce the cooked sauce by 25 - 50% to create even more depth of flavor. Let it cool and mix it with the black vinegar. That's all there is to it.
Make the Pickled Cucumber Banchan
- Slice the cucumbers and place in a small bowl. Add salt, sugar and vinegar. Mix and let them sit until you are ready to serve. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
Cook the beef dumplings
- To boil: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once at a rolling boil, place several mandu in the pot - do not crowd them. If not frozen, they will take about 4 minutes to cook. If frozen, 8 - 9 minutes.
- To pan-fry: Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a 12-inch skillet on medium high. Once hot, place dumplings in the pan in either concentric circles or just randomly. They can be fairly close together.
- Let them sear/brown on one side, then add about ⅓ cup of water, turn the heat down to medium low then cover and let them cook until the water is gone, about 5 minutes.
- To steam: Place on parchment paper in steamer baskets and place steamer basket over a pot or pan with boiling water in it.
- From frozen, steam the dumplings for about 8 minutes.
Notes
- Prepare the meat for the filling ahead of time. The meat and remaining gravy are easier to work with cold than hot.
- All of the elements of the filling are fully cooked, so feel free to taste it and adjust the seasoning or amount of fresh cabbage or green onions or meat.
- Be sure to set up your dumpling assembly before starting to form the mandu. If you have helpers, each person should have their own bowl of water, stack of wrappers and access to a tray to put the dumplings on once folded.
- Pro-tip - if you plan to freeze the dumplings, place them on the tray separated from each other as you form them. Then put the tray directly into the freezer once it's filled with Jew Mandu, if you'd like.
Nutrition
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Hi! I'm Beth
Cookbook author, cooking teacher, preserved lemon lover. My family is a mix of Jewish, Hawaiian and Korean heritage. My virtual multicultural kitchen is always open.
Jenni says
I love this blending of your family's culinary traditions, Beth! I also appreciate the simple reduction + black vinehar sauce.
Beth Lee says
Thanks Jenni - when I was reviewing the recipe and remembering my thinking as I developed it, that black vinegar plus reduction of the braising sauce was a favorite element for me. Feels like smart use of already developed flavor and I can confirm it tastes great!