Mandu Jjigae Recipe (Dumpling Hot Pot): Korean Home Cooking
The rainy season is upon us once more and who can resist a spicy hot pot?
I don’t know about you, but I often find myself craving for a warm, hearty meal but I’m too lazy to go through the lengthy preparation and cooking process. This is why I am a big fan of hot pot meals. You basically gather the ingredients and throw everything in the pot! The best part is, all the cooking is done right at the table.
Today, I am sharing my recipe for KOREAN MANDU JJIGAE or dumpling hot pot stew. It is one of the easiest Korean stews you can make if you are able to buy the dumplings frozen and ready to go. Honestly, who has time to make those from scratch nowadays?
For the broth:
1 liter water2 heaping tablespoons gochujang6 tbsp. soy sauce1 tbsp. dashi powder2 tbsp. brown sugar1 tbsp. minced fresh garlic
Hot pot ingredients:
1 kg mandu (korean dumplings of your choice) approx. 20-24 pcs.1 block soft (not silky) tofu, sliced into cubes200g Korean fish cake1/2 cup kimchi (I like using green onion kimchi)200g rice or potato noodles 1 bunch enoki or 4 pcs. shiitake mushrooms1 cup cabbage, bean sprouts or any hot pot vegetables you have in the fridge
Procedure:
- Arrange the hot pot ingredients in a shallow pot and place on a portable butane stove on top of your table. You can add the vegetables (cabbage, bean sprouts, etc.) near the end to keep them fresh. Our local Korean grocery store sells fresh meat and kimchi dumplings daily, but frozen products sold by Bibigo and other Korean brands are readily available on the market. There is also no reason why this recipe can’t work with Japanese gyoza or even siomai and molo if that’s what you have available!
Arrange all the mandu jjigae ingredients in a pot - Pour the broth over the dumplings, making sure that they are almost fully covered or covered all the way. Allow to boil for at least 10 minutes to make sure that the dumplings and fish cakes are cooked.
- Add the cabbage and bean sprouts in the final 3-5 minutes before turning the heat down and serving straight from the bowl! Mandu jjigae