Several weeks ago I participated in the fastest moving Twitter party sponsored by Kitchen PLAY and The Mushroom Council. Selected food bloggers shared recipes where they swapped out meat for mushrooms which got my little wheels a-churnin’. I immediately thought of remaking my mandoo (Korean dumplings) and swapping out the meat with mushrooms. I don’t know about you, but I’ve sampled several different brands of store-bought vegetarian dumplings and the filling was always so disappointing. I usually encounter a loose lump of multi-colored flakes that immediately fall to the floor at first bite. Never satisfying or substantial, always disappointing.

This mushroom filling is made up of cremini and shiitake. Sauteeing it beforehand gives it a little boost of flavor and a much meatier texture. I’ve already made this several times and it definitely does not disappoint. Freeze it for later, pan fry it, boil it, or make some soup. My favorite is yaki mandoo (pan-fried). And what’s more, my kids love them!

Notes: If you have a food processor, I highly recommend using it to chop the vegetables. Roughly chop the cabbage, add it to the food processor and pulse it a few times. Do the same with the mushrooms. The egg yolk will be used to help bind the mushroom filling and the egg white will be used to seal the edges of the mandoo (dumpling). This “egg” tip is something I picked up from You Fed a Baby Chili.

Print Recipe

Mushroom and Cabbage Mandoo

Course: Vegetarian

Cuisine: Korean

Author: Amy Kim | Kimchi Mom

Ingredients

Cooking oil
7-8 ounces green cabbage finely chopped
14 ounces cremini mushrooms finely chopped
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms finely chopped
3 stalks scallions thinly sliced crosswise (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
1 clove garlic minced
1 Tablespoon sesame seed oil
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
salt and pepper
1/4 fine bread crumbs
1 egg separated into two small bowls.
1 12- ounce package of wonton skins about 50 wrappers

Instructions

Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Sauté the cabbage until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside the cabbage in a large mixing bowl.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in the same skillet. Sauté the scallions and ginger until the scallions turn a bright green, about 30 seconds. Add the cooked scallions into the same mixing bowl.
Heat a few tablespoons of oil in the same skillet. Add the mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes, about the moment when the liquid starts to evaporate. Add the cooked mushrooms to the large mixing bowl.
To the same bowl, add garlic, sesame seed oil, and soy sauce. Add a few grinds of black pepper and a pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasonings. If the mixture is still hot, let cool a bit before adding the egg yolk.
Once the mixture has cooled, add the egg yolk and bread crumbs to the mixture and mix thoroughly.
Line a large baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper. Set up the wonton skins next to the bowl of mushroom mixture.
Dip half of the wonton skin into the egg white so that a thin film cover half of one side of the skin. Spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the mixture onto the middle of the square. Fold the skin in half and press the edges to seal the mandoo. Lay the mandoo on the baking sheet. Repeat until the rest of the wonton skins are filled and sealed. Make sure the dumplings are not laying on top of each, otherwise they will stick together and you’ll create a big sticky mess.
The mandoo is ready to use right away or you can freeze them for later use. To use later, freeze on the baking sheet until frozen solid. Store the mandoo in a sealable food storage bag. You do not need to thaw out the mandoo before using, cook them as you would “fresh” mandoo.
Yaki mandoo (potstickers): Heat a couple of tablespoons of cooking oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the mandoo (frozen of fresh) to the skillet, but do not lay them on top of each other. Let them turn a golden brown on one side. Do not flip them over. Add about a 1/4 cup of water and cover the pan immediately. Let cook for about 1-2 minutes. Uncover and let the remaining water in the pan evaporate. The mandoo is done once the wonton skin turns wrinkly and translucent. Carefully scoop the mandoo out with a spatula. Serve with the Easy Peasy Dipping Sauce (recipe below).
Boiled mandoo: Bring a medium-size pot of water to boil. Use enough water that will give the mandoo enough room to float around. Once the water starts boiling, add mandoo to the water. The mandoo is done once they float to the surface and the skin over the filling turns wrinkly and translucent. Scoop the mandoo out with a slotted spoon into a serving bowl. Serve with the dipping sauce.