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little asian mama's potstickers/ mandoo

Heather_Greeson avatar
Recipe by
Heather Trice
@Heather_Greeson
Indianapolis, IN

This recipe was given to me by a friend who's mother she calls LAM short for Little Asian Mama. It is a family project to make this many and you can always reduce the recipe. We make them, steam them, then freeze them in bags of 10-12 for future meals. I will post a separate recipe to the sauce. This process goes considerably more efficiently if there are people dedicated separately to folding and cooking.

yield 200 Mandoo/Potstickers
prep time 4 Hr
cook time 40 Min
method Steam

Ingredients For little asian mama's potstickers/ mandoo

  • 4-5 pkg
    wonton/gyoza skins (they usually come in packs of about 50 each)
  • 2 lb
    ground meat you can use any combination of pork, beef and chicken
  • 3 1/2 c
    blanched and finely minced green cabbage, pressed or squeezed to remove all excess liquid (2 medium heads should cover it)
  • 2 1/2 c
    finely minced onion (3 medium onions should do it, the sweeter the better)
  • 2 c
    boiled dangmyun (dahngmyun) noodles that have been chopped into roughly 1/4" long pieces (if you can't find dangmyun, you can substitute with shirataki noodles, which usually come precooked and so only have to be well drained if needed and chopped)
  • 1/4 c
    + 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp
    toasted sesame oil
  • 2 tsp
    sugar
  • 1 Tbsp
    kosher salt
  • 1 tsp
    black pepper

How To Make little asian mama's potstickers/ mandoo

  • 1
    Combine all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and work them together with your hands until they are thoroughly and evenly combined. (Do yourself a favor and take the meat out of the fridge a good 30 to 45 minutes before you mix it, otherwise the process can get uncomfortably cold for your fingers.)
  • 2
    Prepare a couple of large trays or cookie sheets very lightly dusted with corn or potato starch or flour. This will keep your mandoo from sticking to the surface.
  • 3
    Open one packet of wrappers at a time, leaving the rest in the fridge.
  • 4
    Take one wrapper, place one Tablespoon of filling in the center, and lightly wet the top half of the wrapper periphery with water.
  • 5
    Loosely fold the wrapper exactly in half over the filling, then, gently working from the center out so as not to tear the wrapper, make sure to remove any air pockets before sealing the wrapper. Once you've sealed the wrapper, take the thumb and forefinger and working from one side to another, pinch the periphery of the wrapper to give it an extra tight seal.
  • 6
    If you already know how to crimp dumplings and would like to crimp the mandoo, just about any crimping method works. If you're inexperienced and would like some kind of crimp, you can always crimp the periphery by pressing all along it with the back of a fork.
  • 7
    Cooking: Steam Method: If you're steaming, make sure the water comes up to a steady but gentle boil and stays there for at least 5 minutes or so before placing the mandoo in the steamer. If your steamer has large holes, make sure to line it with a cheesecloth so the mandoo doesn't get soggy. I find the first couple of batches might take about 5 minutes, the subsequent ones about 4 as the steam gets hotter. Remember to check the water level every couple of batches to make sure it's sufficient and always let it come back up to that steady but gentle boil for a while first before putting your mandoo in.
  • 8
    Once they're steamed, you can either eat them just like that, or further pan fry them in a well oiled pan for a little bit of that outer chewy crunch you get with this two pronged cooking method. (This is my favorite way to enjoy them.) If you'd like to save some of the steamed mandoo for use in soup, cool it completely, then freeze completely, in a single layer, uncovered, on a sheet pan or plate or whatever fits in your freezer for at least 3 or 4 hours before placing them in a freezer bag for storage.
  • 9
    Deep Fry Method: Get your oil between 360 and 370F degrees and deep fry 7 or 8 at a time (you don't want to crowd the vessel), for about 7 or 8 minutes total, flipping occasionally to ensure even browning. Make sure to have a paper towel lined plate or rack ready to drain the cooked mandoo. How to know if your oil is ready to fry without a thermometer? Throw a little flour or piece of wrapper in the oil and if it immediately and gently sizzles and bubbles, it's ready
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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