Shrimp Dumplings (Saeu Mandu)

Filled with shrimp and lots of healthy vegetables, these dumplings are easy to make, juicy and flavorful!

Happy New Year! I’m kicking off the New Year with these delicious shrimp dumplings, saeu mandu (새우 만두). Filled with shrimp and lots of healthy vegetables, these dumplings are easy to make, juicy and flavorful! This recipe also includes how to make homemade dumpling wrappers as an option for you to try.

The wrappers

You can always use store-bought dumpling wrappers for convenience. They come in refrigerated or frozen, and are available at Korean/Asian markets or even at your local grocery stores. When I make dumplings, I make a lot of them to freeze, so I often use store-bought ones to save time.

However, it’s really not that hard to make wrappers at home. All you need is good old all-purpose flour, salt and water. Homemade wrappers taste much better. They are also more resilient and durable to work with.

Be aware that 1 cup of all-purpose flour can weigh quite differently depending on the flour and how you packed the cup — anywhere from 120 grams to 140 grams. Also, depending on the flour, the amount of water needed can vary. So, it’s important to feel the dough and adjust the moisture level as necessary by adding a little more water or flour as necessary. The dough should be slightly stiff. It will relax after resting for easy rolling.

You don’t really have to roll the dough to perfect rounds, but feel free to use a round cutter if you have one. 

Lately, I’ve been having fun creating colorful doughs. The green dough in this post was made with spinach. You can also use garlic chives. Beets are great for pink/red dough, and carrots for orange dough. Simply cook the vegetables, puree, and strain to make colorful liquid for the dough. Try the same to make colorful homemade noodles for kalguksu (knife cut noodles).

The filling

In addition to shrimp, I also used green cabbage, mushrooms and onion. You can swap out some shrimp with minced pork if you want. Also, garlic chives or scallions are all great additions to the filling. Feel free to use any vegetables you want or to adjust the amounts of vegetables.

You can coarsely chop the shrimp or as finely as you want. For a smooth texture of the filling, however, I finely chop the vegetables. It’s, of course, fine to use a food processor if available, using the pulse function.

How to fold dumplings

The easiest folding technique is a half-moon shape, which you can do by simply folding the wrap in half over the filling and sealing it by tightly pinching the edges together. Once you get the hang of filling the dough and crimping, add some pleats before pinching the edges together.

Wet the edges if using store-bought wrappers so they can be glued together. This is not necessary for homemade wrappers.

Morea dumpling recipes

Mandu (dumplings)
Kimchi mandu 
Hobak (zucchini) mandu – vegan

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Shrimp dumplings (saeu mandu)

Filled with shrimp and lots of healthy vegetables, these dumplings are easy to make, juicy and flavorful!

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Korean

Keyword dumplings, grilled shrimp, mandu, shrimp dumplings

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Author Hyosun

Ingredients

For the wrappers (about 33 wrappers) - or use store bought ones

• 2 cups all purpose flour (about 9 ounces/260 grams, more for dusting)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup water

If making green dough

• 2 to 3 ounces (60 to 90 grams) spinach

For the filling:

• 12 ounces (340 grams) raw shrimp Peeled and deveined
• 10 ounces (280 grams) green cabbage
• 4 ounces (110 grams) fresh mushroom caps, stems removed (shiitake, button, crimini, etc.)
• 1/2 small onion
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon finely grated ginger or juiced
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• salt to taste about 1/4 teaspoon
• pinch pepper

Dipping Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon water
• pinch of black pepper and/or gochugaru (red chili pepper flakes)

Instructions

For the wrappers:

• Add 2 cups of flour to a bowl. Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of salt in 2/3 cup of water. Gradually add the water to the flour while mixing and checking the moisture level. Keep mixing by hand until the dough comes together, and knead with the heel of your hand until the dough is smooth bur slightly stiff. You can adjust the dough by kneading in a little more flour or more water.
• Cover with a plastic wrap, and let it rest for 30 minutes to an hour. After resting, the dough should feel soft and smooth. (This is a good time to start making the filling.)
• When ready to use, using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 4 long pieces on a lightly floured work surface. Roll each piece with both hands to make a thin log, 3/4 to 1-inch diameter. (Cover the remaining dough to keep it from drying out.)
• Cut each log into 3/4 to 1-inch pieces. Press the cut side with the thumbs to flatten to a small disk. Dust and roll out each disk with a small rolling pin to a thin 3.5-inch circle. (You can also use a round cutter or wine glass.) Make a few wrappers at a time and wrap the filling in. Always cover the dough and wrappers that are not being used.

If making green dough

• Blanch the spinach in boiling water, puree in a food processor. Run it through a sieve to extract green juice, about 2/3 cup. Follow the same steps for the wrappers above.

For the filling:

• Coarsely chop the shrimp or pulse several times in a food processor. Finely chop the cabbage. Mix with 1 teaspoon of salt. Let sit for 5 - 10 minutes. Squeeze out excess water. (If using a food processor, add salt with the cabbage before pulsing.) Finely chop the onion and mushrooms. Combine all the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well by hand.

To assemble:

• Place a tablespoon of the filling on a wrapper. You don't need to wet the edges of the homemade wrapper. Seal tightly (pushing the air out with your fingers) into a half-moon shape. (You can add pleats if desired.) Dust the bottom of the dumpling with flour to keep it from sticking as the skin absorbs the moisture from the filling. Repeat this process until all the filling/wrappers are used.

To cook:

• Steaming: steam the dumplings for about 10 minutes in a steamer (longer if frozen). Make sure to line the steamer with a wet cheesecloth or paper towel to prevent the mandu from sticking.
• Boiling: bring a pot of water to a boil. Add mandu (stirring gently so they don't stick to the bottom of the pot), a few at a time, and cook until all of them come up to the surface. Continue to cook for another minute or two.
• Pan frying, heat the pan with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add the dumplings, making sure they aren't touching each other. Fry for 1 - 2 minutes, until the bottoms are golden brown. Add 1/4 cup of water to the pan, and cover immediately with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium low, and steam for 4 to 5 minutes. If the dumplings are frozen, cook a little longer.

Notes

Tips for freezing: Freeze the dumplings on a tray with no pieces touching for about an hour, and then store them in a freezer bag. Otherwise, the skins will get soggy from the moisture in the filling and stick together in the freezing process.

This shrimp dumpling recipe was originally posted in February 2013. I’ve updated it here with more information, new photos and improvements to the recipe. 

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