Have some kimchi laying around in the fridge that you need to use up? Try these Korean style dumplings, known as Mandu. They are stuffed with shrimp and kimchi, so they are packed with explosive flavor. And of course I serve them with a yummy dipping sauce.  I even manage to squeeze some noodles into them, and I make no apologies for that. Noodles are life! So what are you waiting for?

First Make Mandu Dipping Sauce

Dipping sauces are half the fun of dumplings, whether you call them potstickers, mandu, wontons, or gyoza. And this one has the gingery, tangy, toasty flavor we all love. A little rice vinegar, some soy sauce, minced ginger and garlic, sugar and toasted sesame oil create a perfectly balanced sauce. Just mix everything together and set aside.

Make the Mandu Filling

I start with the shrimp. Since they are going to be ground, it doesn’t matter what size you use. Get whatever’s on sale! Also, it’s not necessary to grind them to paste; chunks of shrimp will give your dumplings much better texture and flavor.

I use one of my favorite noodles for this, the Korean noodle made out of sweet potato starch. They have an awesome chewy texture, and they are naturally gluten free. They can be labeled as either Japchae or Dangmyeon noodles. (Try them in my Mushroom Japchae). You can substitute with mung bean noodles (also known as bean thread noodles) if you’re at a Chinese grocery store that doesn’t carry Korean products.

Shape the Mandu

I use a very simple fold and seal to speed up the process. If you want to try your hand at a more decorative, but more labor intensive dumpling, I give detailed instructions in the note section on how to make the pretty pleats.

Repeat with the rest of the filling, which should yield about 3 dozen dumplings. (Do you see a couple of dumplings that don’t match in the photo below? This is what happens when other people want to help you! 😉 You can freeze some at this point, and I give instructions for that in the note section. Having delicious homemade dumplings in the freezer ready to go for a last minute craving is like money in the bank. The best part is not having to defrost the dumplings before cooking. They go straight into the pan from the freezer. Add a couple more minutes of cooking time and you’re good to go.

Cooking the Mandu

Dumplings in Korea can be deep fried, pan fried, boiled, or steamed. I give directions for boiling them, which creates a softer dumpling. I prefer them pan fried; I love the crispy wrapper which contrasts with the soft interior, but you do you.

Then I add a little water to the pan and cover it with a lid. This creates steam which helps to ensure the filling is cooked all the way through. After a couple minutes, once the water has evaported I take the lid off and let the mandu crisp up a little bit before serving.

These shrimp and kimchi mandu are crispy, spicy, and make a terrific starter. Or just eat a plateful and call it dinner. It will be our secret. Let me know what you think by rating and commenting on the recipe below. And don’t forget to show off your gorgeous dumplings by tagging us @funkyasiankitchen; we love seeing your creations!

Mandu

• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 35 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: makes 36 dumplings 1x

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 package dumpling skins
• neutral oil for pan frying 

Filling:

• ½ pound shrimp (you can use any size since you will be chopping them up)
• 1 egg, divided
• 2 teaspoons potato starch (can also use corn starch)
• 2 ounces dried sweet potato starch noodles (dangmyeon)
• ¼ yellow onion minced
• ½ cup chopped garlic chives (2 oz. about ¼ of a large bunch)
• 1 cup kimchi, squeezed tightly to eliminate juice and finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Dipping Sauce:

• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 teaspoons peeled and minced ginger
• ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil

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Instructions

Make the dipping sauce:

• Combine the garlic, ginger, rice wine vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
• Stir until sugar is dissolved.
• Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the filling:

1. In a food processor, place the shrimp, egg white (save the yolk for later), potato starch, garlic, and ginger into the bowl.
2. Pulse 8-10 times until roughly chopped. Transfer to a large bowl.
3. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add the sweet potato starch noodles and lower the heat to medium high.
4. Simmer the noodles for 6-8 minutes until the noodles are chewy and do not have a hard core (taste one to check).
5. Strain the noodles into a colander and rinse under running water to cool.
6. Then put the noodles into some paper towels to dry off the noodles.
7. Chop the noodles into small ¼ inch pieces and add them to the shrimp mixture. 
8. Add the minced onion, chives, kimchi, ginger, oyster sauce, toasted sesame oil, salt, and pepper to the shrimp bowl. 
9. With clean hands or a spoon, mix the ingredients well.

Make the Mandu/Dumplings:

1. Put the egg yolk into a small bowl and whisk well with a fork.
2. Take one dumpling wrapper and brush half of the edge with the egg wash. Spoon 1 Tablespoon of filling onto the wrapper. 
3. Fold the wrapper over and seal the edges. This makes a simple half coin dumpling.*
4. Set the dumpling aside on a tray and keep making more dumplings until all of the filling has been used up. You will yield approximately 36 dumplings.

Pan Frying the Dumplings:

1. Heat a pan over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add a Tablespoon or two of oil (depending on the size of the pan you are using) and swirl to coat the pan.
2. Add as many dumplings as will fit the pan without the dumplings touching.
3. Cook the dumplings for 2 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown. Flip them and brown the other side for 1 minute.
4. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water and cover the pan with a lid. Cook with a lid and cook for 2 more minutes until the water has evaporated. 
5. Take off the lid and cook for an additional minute to re-crisp the skin. Transfer the mandu to a plate and serve with the dipping sauce.

Boiled Mandu:

• Bring 1 quart of water to a boil in a 4 quart pot over high heat.
• Add 8-10 dumplings and cook for 2-3 minutes until the dumplings float to the surface.
• Scoop them out with a slotted spoon or spider, letting the water drain back into the pot.
• Repeat with more dumplings as desired.
• Transfer the dumplings to a plate and serve with the dipping sauce.

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Notes

*If you would prefer to make more decorative mandu, place 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper and then holding the dumpling with your left hand (if you are right handed), pleat the dumplings by pushing the dough with your left index and middle fingers to create a fold and then pulling it with your right index finger, pinching gently to form a pleat. Seal the pleat by pinching it firmly with the right index finger and thumb. Keep folding and sealing 6-7 times across the top of the dumpling until you have a row of beautiful pleats. It takes a little practice to make it work, but keep trying. All misshapen dumplings taste amazing too!

*You can freeze any dumplings you do not plan on consuming immediately. Put them on a tray so they are not touching. Freeze them for 6-8 hours until they are frozen solid. Bang the tray on the kitchen counter to loosen the dumplings and transfer them to a zip top freezer bag or an airtight container. You should cook them straight from frozen, adding 2-3 more minutes to the cooking time.

A big bowl of noodles is always a welcome sight. And Singapore Noodles are loaded with protein and veggies, plus it’s on the table fast. This next level stir fry dish hails from Cantonese restaurants in Hong Kong, so no one is exactly sure why they are called Singapore Noodles. But everyone agrees that they are delicious, so let’s get into it!

Singapore Noodles are ubiquitous at restaurants but that doesn’t mean you’re going to get a good bowl. Too often, the noodles are bland, dusty, and underwhelming. I know, I’m sad too when I get a bad batch. So today, I’m going to show you how they are meant to be: chock full of fresh ingredients, briny from the dried shrimp, and saturated with flavor. Are you with me?

The Noodles

Singapore Noodles have many different variations. There are vegetarian versions, some versions include scrambled eggs, and beef or ham instead of Chinese sausage. In fact, this is a great dish to make when you have some veggies you need to use up, so go ahead and whip up a batch with cabbage, snow peas, beansprouts, etc. But there’s two ingredients that are always used or it just isn’t Singapore noodles…curry powder and rice vermicelli. The rice noodles make this dish super quick, because they don’t even need to be cooked before going into the stir fry. They just get soaked in water while you prep everything else. And they have the delightfully springy texture that made this dish famous.

Singapore Noodles Stir Fry

This dish is a stir fry, so you need to have everything prepped and within reach of the stove.

Once you have everything prepped, including having the sauce ingredients measured out and close by, the cooking happens very quickly. Start with a hot pan, a large wok is great too, but I use a 12 inch skillet.

At home, I think a 12 inch skillet is a necessity, unless you usually cook for one. You need to have as much hot surface area as possible in order to actually get a stir fry. If you crowd everything in, you’re going to be steaming your ingredients and it just won’t be the same. I also encourage you to use high heat when stir frying. It’s better to get a little char (not all out burn) while constantly moving things around in your pan rather than letting them sit and cook on medium heat. You will notice much better flavor and texture. So get brave and crank up the heat. You can always turn it down 😉

Now your Singapore Noodles are ready to be plated, garnished, and devoured!

I know you’re going to love this fresh and fast take on Singapore Noodles. Please take a moment to let me know what you think by rating and commenting on the recipe below, and tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!

Singapore Noodles

• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: serves 4
• Category: noodles
• Cuisine: Chinese

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 7 ounces dried rice vermicelli
• 3 Tablespoons neutral oil
• ½ red pepper
• ½ large yellow onion
• 1 ounce dried shrimp (¼ cup)
• 8 ounces ground chicken 
• 2 links chinese sausage
• 8 pieces shrimp (I used 21/25 “large” size)
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 Tablespoon mild curry powder
• 1 ½ cup chicken broth
• 2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
• 2 scallions, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces

Garnish:

• 3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 3 Tablespoons fried shallots

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Instructions

1. Soak the rice vermicelli in cool water for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Cut the red pepper into thin slices and set aside.
3. Cut the onion into thin slices and set aside.
4. Cut the Chinese sausage on an angle into thin slices and set aside.
5. Heat a large 12 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan.
6. Add the chicken and cook for 1 minute without stirring. Then break up the meat and continue to cook for another minute. Raise the heat to high and add the dried shrimp, onion, peppers, and garlic. Stir fry for 2 minutes, constantly moving things in the pan.
7. Next add the chinese sausage and curry powder. Continue to stir fry for another minute.
8. Add the oyster sauce, salt, pepper, and chicken stock and stir to combine. 
9. Add the shrimp.
10. Add the noodles and cook for about 3 minutes until the noodles are cooked and springy and the liquid has evaporated. (You can toggle between medium high and high heat if you notice ingredients starting to burn).
11. Add the scallions and use a pair of tongs to mix into the noodles.
12. Pile the Singapore noodles onto a platter and serve topped with cilantro and fried shallots.

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Notes

*Singapore noodles is not usually a spicy dish but you can feel free to substitute spicy curry powder or even add some crushed chili flakes with the curry powder to give it a kick.

 *It is difficult to mix ingredients into long noodles evenly, so I don’t bother. Just make sure to stir the noodles and ingredients often as you cook, so everything is cooked evenly. 

*When piling the noodles onto the serving platter, I like to layer it, scooping the noodles, then some of the meat and veg, then some more noodles, until you’ve stacked it all on the platter. This way you get a nice mix of ingredients from the top to the bottom of the platter.

Keywords: noodles, curry, shrimp, chinese sausage, chicken, singapore noodles