Crispy Pan-Fried Dumplings (Gunmandu) Made Easy at Home
Effortlessly Delicious Pan-Fried Dumplings Even on Busy Days
This recipe offers a super simple way to make delicious pan-fried dumplings without the hassle of making your own wrappers, complex fillings, or steaming. You can prepare them quickly during your evening cooking time. Enjoy crispy exteriors and juicy interiors with your family!
Main Ingredients- 400g ground pork
- 2 Tbsp starch
- 2 zucchini
- 50g chives or green onions
- 2 packs small pre-made dumpling wrappers
Seasoning & Others- 2 Tbsp cooking wine (Cheongju)
- 1/2 tsp ginger juice
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp cooking wine (Cheongju)
- 1/2 tsp ginger juice
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
For the ground pork, you can use pre-ground meat or finely mince it yourself using a knife. Place the ground pork in a bowl and add all the seasoning ingredients: cooking wine, ginger juice, salt, soy sauce, minced garlic, and black pepper. Mix and knead with a spatula or your hands until it becomes sticky and cohesive. Prepare the zucchini by finely dicing or julienning the outer part, avoiding the seedy center. Lightly salt the diced zucchini and let it sit for about 5 minutes, then squeeze out excess water. Wash and finely chop the chives or green onions. Add the squeezed zucchini, chopped chives (or green onions), and sesame oil to the kneaded pork mixture. Gently mix everything together until well combined to create the dumpling filling.
Step 2
While you can make your own dumpling wrappers from scratch, today we’ll be using convenient pre-made wrappers. Lightly brush the edges of each wrapper with water; this helps the filling seal securely. Place about 1 teaspoon of the prepared filling onto the center of each wrapper. Be careful not to overfill, as this can cause the wrappers to break during cooking.
Step 3
Pleat and seal one side of the wrapper to create a half-moon shape. The water applied to the edges should ensure a good seal. Shape the dumplings as desired.
Step 4
Typically, when making dumplings, a dusting of dry flour is applied to the bottom to prevent sticking on a tray. Here, a light sprinkle of flour on the tray will help keep the dumplings from sticking and makes the process much easier. This saves effort and time during the dumpling-making process.
Step 5
If you have a large family or want to make a generous batch, using a wide frying pan is ideal as it allows you to cook many dumplings at once. Adjust the number of dumplings based on the size of your pan.
Step 6
Heat the frying pan over high heat. Once it’s hot and you hear the satisfying sizzle of the dumplings starting to fry, carefully add about half a cup (approx. 100ml) of water and immediately cover the pan with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium. The steam generated from the water will cook the dumplings through, making them tender inside. When the steam subsiding, quickly remove the lid to allow the bottoms to crisp up.
Step 7
For an extra crispy texture, you can flip the dumplings once more and pan-fry them on low heat for a short additional time. To flip them neatly, place a plate over the dumplings in the pan, invert the pan to transfer the dumplings onto the plate, and then slide them back into the pan. This helps maintain their shape.
Step 8
Golden-brown and beautifully fried on both sides, your delicious gunmandu are ready, blooming like flowers! This recipe was inspired by wonderful pan-fried dumplings I tried while traveling in Japan. Without the struggle of making wrappers, complicated fillings, or steaming, these simple dumplings were made quickly during evening meal preparation. Enjoy these crispy, juicy pan-fried dumplings with your whole family!
