Colorful Korean Dumplings (Mandu)

Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 75 min
Servings: 8
Yield: 8 servings

Description

These colorful steamed Korean dumplings, or mandu, are packed with flavor and nutrition thanks to tofu and fresh vegetables.

Ingredients

1 cup cellophane noodles
4 cups chopped cabbage
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil, or more as needed
1 cup crumbled firm tofu
2 tablespoons chopped scallions
2 tablespoons sesame oil
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup beet juice
1 large egg, beaten
1 pinch salt

Directions

1 Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil; stir in noodles and return to a boil. Cook noodles uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, 6 to 7 minutes. Drain and dice.
2 Place cabbage, onion, bell pepper, carrot, garlic, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until vegetables are diced.
3 Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Saute the vegetable mixture in the hot oil, stirring frequently, until soft, about 6 minutes. Add tofu; saute for 5 minutes.
4 Place filling in a cheesecloth and squeeze as much water out as possible. Transfer the filling to a bowl and mix in the diced noodles, scallions, and sesame oil until well combined.
5 Mix flour, beet juice, egg, and salt for dough together in a bowl and knead until cohesive but not sticky.
6 Roll out dough with a thin rolling pin, or roll it through your pasta machine at the thickest setting. Progressively roll the dough thinner until it reaches the second-thinnest setting on your machine--or, thin enough that it's see-through, but not quite transparent. Cut circles for dumpling wrappers with a 3 1/2-inch biscuit cutter or cup. Roll excess dough back through the machine, or with a rolling pin, repeating the process and cutting out more wrappers until you have no more dough left.
7 Place about 2 teaspoons of filling in the center of each dumpling wrapper. Fold each wrapper in half and pinch all the way across until the dumpling is sealed firmly shut.
8 Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Working in batches, add dumplings, cover, and steam until heated through, about 10 minutes.