Colorful 4-Color Mandu
Chewy Wrappers, Hearty Filling! Making Beautiful 4-Color Mandu That You’ll Enjoy With Your Eyes First!
Today, we’re going to make ‘4-Color Mandu’ using natural colorants, which are as beautiful to look at as they are delicious to eat. 🙂
Mandu Wrapper & Filling Ingredients
- 700g all-purpose flour
- 400g ground pork
- 200g chives, finely chopped
- 500g bean sprouts, blanched, drained, and finely chopped
- 300g firm tofu, pressed to remove excess water
- 150g glass noodles, boiled and chopped into 1cm pieces
- 5 Korean chili peppers (cheongyang), finely chopped (adjust to taste)
- 1 egg
- 150g beetroot (for pink natural colorant)
- 150g spinach (for green natural colorant)
- 2 tsp turmeric powder (for yellow natural colorant)
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- Salt (1.5 tsp for filling, plus more for dough seasoning)
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp cooking oil (added to each dough color)
- Water (for natural colorants and white mandu dough)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Let’s start by preparing the mandu filling. Blanch the 500g of bean sprouts in boiling water for about 30 seconds, then immediately rinse them under cold water. Drain thoroughly using a colander; excess water can make the filling mushy.
Step 2
Boil the 150g of glass noodles in plenty of boiling water for about 7-8 minutes. Once cooked, drain them and chop into approximately 1cm pieces.
Step 3
In a pan, combine the 400g of ground pork, 1 Tbsp minced garlic, and 1/2 tsp salt. Stir-fry over medium heat until the pork loses its pink color. This step helps remove any gamey odors and prevents the meat from clumping.
Step 4
Add a pinch of black pepper to the stir-fried pork and continue to cook over high heat until all the moisture has evaporated. Cooking quickly over high heat prevents the meat from becoming overcooked and dry.
Step 5
Wrap the 300g of tofu in cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel. Squeeze out as much water as possible by pressing down on it. Thoroughly draining the tofu is crucial for a well-formed, non-mushy filling.
Step 6
Finely chop the 200g of chives and 5 Korean chili peppers after washing and drying them. Adjust the amount of chili peppers based on your spice preference.
Step 7
Re-chop the previously cut glass noodles into about 1cm pieces. If they are too long, they can be difficult to work with when shaping the mandu.
Step 8
Finely chop the blanched and drained bean sprouts. Squeeze out any remaining water from the chopped sprouts. This ensures the filling is flavorful and holds together well.
Step 9
Now, let’s make the delicious mandu filling! In a large bowl, combine the chopped chives, stir-fried pork, chopped glass noodles, bean sprouts, squeezed tofu, and chopped chili peppers. Add 1.5 tsp salt and 1 egg. Mix everything thoroughly with your hands until well combined.
Step 10
Finally, add 1 Tbsp of sesame oil and mix gently again. Your flavorful and colorful mandu filling is now ready!
Step 11
Next, we’ll create the natural colorants for our vibrant mandu wrappers. For the green color, blend 150g of spinach with 70ml of water in a blender until smooth. This creates a healthy and beautiful green hue.
Step 12
For the pink color, blend 150g of beetroot with 80ml of water in a blender. The natural red color from the beetroot is truly stunning.
Step 13
For the yellow color, combine 2 tsp of turmeric powder with 80ml of water in a blender and mix well.
Step 14
Voila! Here are your three beautiful natural colorant liquids, ready to make your mandu wrappers visually appealing. The consistency is perfect for dough.
Step 15
Now, let’s make the dough for each color. For the yellow mandu wrappers, combine 1.5 cups (standard paper cup measurement) of flour with the prepared turmeric water, gradually adding it to form a dough. Add 1 tsp of cooking oil to make the dough chewier and prevent tearing. Knead until smooth and elastic.
Step 16
For the green mandu wrappers, use 2 cups of flour and gradually add the blended spinach water. Incorporate 1 tsp of cooking oil and knead until you achieve a soft and chewy dough with a lovely green color.
Step 17
For the pink mandu wrappers, combine 1.5 cups of flour with the blended beetroot water. Add 1 tsp of cooking oil for added elasticity and knead diligently to create soft wrappers with a beautiful pink hue.
Step 18
Finally, for the white mandu wrappers, combine 1.5 cups of flour with 80ml of water and 1 tsp of cooking oil. Knead until a smooth dough forms. The white wrappers will beautifully showcase the colors of the filling.
Step 19
Ta-da! You now have four distinct and beautiful mandu dough colors ready to go. Remember to knead each dough sufficiently to ensure a chewy texture.
Step 20
Time to make the wrappers! Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Take each colored dough ball, round it, and then knead it gently until smooth. Kneading until the dough is perfectly smooth will result in chewier wrappers.
Step 21
Shape the kneaded dough into neat balls. Then, use a rolling pin to flatten them into thin, round wrappers. Aim for a consistent thickness for even cooking.
Step 22
Lightly sprinkle flour on your workspace again. Use a round cutter (about 10cm in diameter) to cut out circular wrappers from the rolled dough. Repeat this process for all colors. You can gather and re-roll any leftover dough scraps.
Step 23
Now for the fun part – assembling the mandu! Place a wrapper on your palm. Spoon a generous amount of filling into the center. Lightly moisten the edges of the wrapper with water, then fold it in half to seal, ensuring the filling doesn’t escape. You can create pleats for a decorative finish.
Step 24
Shape the mandu into your desired form. A common method is to create a half-moon shape and then press the two ends together, or you can form them into crescent shapes. Repeat with all the different colored wrappers.
Step 25
The final step! Bring water to a boil in your steamer. Arrange the well-formed mandu on the steamer basket, ensuring they don’t touch. Cover and steam for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through. Your vibrant and delicious 4-color mandu are ready to be enjoyed!
