Mandu Jeongol (Dumpling Hotpot)

We've had a bag of pork and leek dumplings sitting in the chest freezer for a while now. I picked them up because they're tasty and convenient, but then kept forgetting that we had them and planning other meals. TF reminded me about them the other day though, so I finally set aside some space in the meal plan for them.

I was initially thinking of doing mandu guk, but my mood had changed by the time I was doing up the grocery list and I decided to try this mandu jeongol recipe instead. I appreciate how easy and flexible it was to make. And the dipping sauce was incredible!

Mandu Jeongol

Slightly adapted from Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

Flavour Paste

• 2 Tbsp. gochugaru
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce¹
• 1/2 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp. chicken bouillon powder²
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
• filling of 2-4 dumplings (depending on the size of your dumplings)

Dipping Sauce

• 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. vinegar³
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 1/2 Tbsp. Korean mustard (or wasabi)

Everything Else

• 2-3 c. sliced napa cabbage or black kale
• 100-150g shiitake mushrooms⁴, sliced
• 100g enoki mushrooms
• 100-150g oyster mushrooms, torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 1 bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and sliced
• 10-20 dumplings (depending on size of dumplings)
• 2-4 green onions, sliced
• 1 red chili, sliced on bias (optional)
• 4 c. water

Directions

1. Combine all of the flavour paste ingredients, mix well, and set aside.
2. Combine all of the sauce ingredients, mix well, and set aside.
3. Add the cabbage, mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, and jalapeño to a wok or pot (use a hotpot dish if you have one). Try to place each ingredient in its own section and don't place similar colours next to each other.
4. Arrange the dumplings on top.
5. Scoop the flavour paste onto the centre of the arrangement.
6. Decorate with green onions and chili (if using).
7. Take a photo and/or show off the pretty, pretty hotpot to your guests/family at this point.
8. Pour the water into the pot and bring to a boil.
9. Stir the hotpot as it cooks so that everything gets mixed and heated evenly.
10. Serve with the dipping sauce on the side. Dip the dumplings and vegetables into the sauce as you eat, then drink the broth (with a bit of dipping sauce mixed in if you like)!

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¹ I used a 50:50 mix of light and dark soy, but I think that either would've been fine. ^Back
2 I didn't have any chicken bouillon powder, but I did have dasida, so I just used that instead. ^Back
3 I just used plain white vinegar this time, but I think that black vinegar would've been really nice in this sauce. ^Back
4 Aaron mentioned that just about any variety or combination of mushrooms will work for this hotpot. He suggested enoki, shiitake, and oyster, but cremini and/or king oyster would probably also be great. And I think lion's mane or bear's head could also work, although their flavours and textures are obviously a bit different. I don't normally see a lot of other fresh mushrooms on offer here. But feel free to experiment if you have something else available locally! ^Back