Episode 127: Korean Food Made Simple with Cooking Channel host Judy Joo

This week on Sharp & Hot, Chef Emily Peterson is joined in the studio by Judy Joo, a Korean-American executive chef, restaurateur, and TV chef traveling between the London and Hong Kong locations of her restaurant, Jinjuu. Judy also appears on the Cooking Channel with her show “Korean Food Made Simple” as she explores authentic Korean dishes inspired by her travels, showing just how easy it is to make Korean favorites with a few Korean store cupboard ingredients. Her latest book is also called Korean Food Made Simple, and is available now.

Text excerpted from KOREAN FOOD MADE SIMPLE © 2016 by Judy Joo. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

MEATY DUMPLINGS

MANDU

MAKES ABOUT 45 DUMPLINGS

My mom used to enslave my sister and me to make these by the thousands. Plump dumplings neatly lined up on plates and trays covered every surface of the kitchen. I used to only eat the skins, shaking out the meaty insides for my sister. As I got older, I learned to savor those juicy gems as well, but the crispy skins are still my favorite part. If you prefer, the dumplings can be steamed instead of fried.

These are a best seller at my restaurant, Jinjuu.

Filling:

1 pound ground pork

1/2 pound ground beef

6 ounces firm tofu, drained and finely crumbled

2 1/2 cups finely shredded Korean or napa cabbage leaves (ribs removed)

3 scallions, finely chopped

2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 large cloves garlic, grated or minced

2 teaspoons kosher salt or sea salt

2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger

2 teaspoons roasted sesame seeds

2 teaspoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Dumplings:

48 thin round eggless wonton wrappers

Vegetable oil, for frying

Dried chile threads (silgochu)

Chile-Soy Dipping Sauce (page 212), for serving

FOR THE FILLING: In a large bowl, combine the filling ingredients. Mix together using your hands, really breaking up the tofu to yield a very uniform texture.

FOR THE DUMPLINGS: Line a couple of baking sheets with waxed paper and set aside. Fill a small bowl with water. Unwrap the wonton wrappers and cover lightly with a piece of plastic wrap to keep them from drying out. Lay a wrapper on a clean work surface and put a tablespoon of the meat filling in the center. Dip a forefinger into the water and run it along the edges of the wrapper to moisten the surface. Fold the wrapper in half. Starting at the top of the half-circle and working toward the ends, press firmly together to seal, pressing out any air bubbles.

Lay the dumpling on its side on one of the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling, making sure the dumplings aren’t touching on the baking sheets. Once the dumplings are assembled, if you don’t plan to cook them right away, you can freeze them on the baking sheets, then bag them up to store in the freezer. Without thawing the frozen dumplings, boil or steam them to cook through, then pan fry if you like to make them crispy.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, lay the dumplings on their sides in the pan in a single layer without crowding the pan. Cook until golden brown on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip them and cook until the other side is golden brown and the filling is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer the fried dumplings to a wire rack or paper towel–lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining dumplings, adding more oil to the skillet as needed. If you prefer not to fry the dump