Mandu (Korean dumplings)
Street snacks
Thin wheat-flour wrappers folded around a filling that usually mixes minced pork, tofu, glass noodles and vegetables, often with chopped kimchi. They are pan-fried as gun-mandu, steamed as jjin-mandu or boiled as mul-mandu, and usually come with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce.
Why this list cannot be complete
Many Korean restaurants are franchises whose recipes are not published, and shops create their own versions of the same dish. A menu name often does not tell you what is inside. This page covers the traditional recipe and the variations that have spread widely, not every shop.
Mandu in particular: every household and shop mixes its own filling, so the same menu name can hide beef, egg, shrimp, oyster sauce or perilla powder, and frozen store-bought mandu differ again by brand.
When you are not sure what a shop puts in, show your card to say what you cannot eat, or show the list below and ask the staff to point to what is in theirs.
What usually goes in
이 음식에 아래 재료 중 들어가는 것이 있나요?
For the staff: does this dish contain any of the ingredients below?
The wrapper itself is a dough of wheat flour and water rolled out thin, so every mandu is encased in wheat whether it is fried, steamed or boiled.
Minced pork is the base of the usual meat and kimchi fillings, kneaded together with the tofu and vegetables before wrapping.
Crumbled tofu is almost always part of a Korean mandu filling, soy sauce seasons it, and the dipping sauce on the side is soy sauce mixed with vinegar.
Minced garlic is worked into the raw filling along with the meat, and some cooks also add it to the soy-vinegar dip.
Most home recipes finish the filling with sesame oil, and some add toasted sesame seeds too; neither can be seen once the dumpling is sealed.
Many cooks crack a raw egg into the filling to bind it, but not every recipe does, so it depends on the shop.
Some meat fillings use a mix of ground beef and pork rather than pork alone.
Chopped onion shows up in some fillings, while others rely only on green onion and Korean chives, so it varies by recipe.
Shrimp mandu puts whole or chopped shrimp in the filling, and kimchi mandu can carry salted shrimp from the kimchi seasoning.
The chopped kimchi in kimchi mandu is usually seasoned with salted seafood, which may be anchovy sauce instead of salted shrimp.
Some recipes season the dumpling filling with oyster sauce.
One widely shared kimchi mandu recipe mixes perilla seed powder into the filling to soak up moisture.
- Usually in it
- Most kitchens put this in. Assume it is there unless the staff tell you otherwise.
- Sometimes in it
- It depends on the recipe and the brand of sauce, so it is worth asking.
- Rarely in it
- The usual recipe does not call for it, but some kitchens still use it.
Checked 12 of the 33 ingredients this site covers. An ingredient that is not listed here has simply not been checked yet — that is not the same as it not being in the dish.
This page describes how the dish is usually made in Korea. Every kitchen works differently, so always show your card and ask the staff before you order.
Going on your card
- Wheat (밀)
- Pork (돼지고기)
- Soybean (대두)
- Garlic (마늘)
- Sesame (참깨)
- Eggs (알류)
- Beef (쇠고기)
- Onion (양파)
- Shrimp (새우)
- Jeotgal and fish sauce (젓갈 · 액젓)
- Shellfish (조개류 · 굴 · 전복)
- Perilla seed (들깨 · 들기름)
Common variations
If you see one of these names on a menu, expect the ingredients below on top of the basic dish. Shops differ, so check with the staff.
- 김치만두Kimchi mandu
Adds: Jeotgal and fish sauce (젓갈 · 액젓), Shrimp (새우)
Chopped, squeezed kimchi is mixed into the pork and tofu filling, bringing the salted seafood from its seasoning along with it.
- 고기만두Meat mandu
Adds: Beef (쇠고기)
The filling is mostly meat with chives and cabbage, and it may combine beef with the pork.
- 새우만두Shrimp mandu
Adds: Shrimp (새우)
Shrimp is chopped into the pork filling or wrapped whole in the skin and pan-fried until crisp.
Diets
- VeganNot suitable
The standard fillings contain pork, egg is often added, and kimchi fillings bring salted seafood.
- Lacto-ovo vegetarianNot suitable
Minced meat is part of the usual filling; vegetable-only mandu exist but are a separate menu item.
- HalalNot suitable
Pork is the usual filling meat, and some recipes season it with cooking wine.
- No porkNot suitable
Ground pork is the standard meat in both meat and kimchi mandu.
Other dishes with the same ingredients
- Budae-jjigae (army base stew)Pork · Wheat · Soybean · Garlic · Onion — Usually in it / Beef · Salted fermented seafood (Jeotgal) & Fish sauce · Shrimp · Shellfish (incl. oyster, abalone, mussel) — Sometimes in it
- Jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup)Wheat · Shellfish (incl. oyster, abalone, mussel) · Pork · Soybean · Garlic · Onion — Usually in it / Shrimp · Beef — Sometimes in it
- SamgyeopsalPork · Soybean · Sesame · Garlic — Usually in it / Onion · Wheat · Salted fermented seafood (Jeotgal) & Fish sauce · Shrimp — Sometimes in it
Read more
- Soy in Korean foodWhere this ingredient hides across Korean food
- Sesame in Korean foodWhere this ingredient hides across Korean food
- Gluten-free travel in KoreaWhere wheat hides in sauces and broths
- Vegan dining in KoreaWhere meat and seafood hide in Korean cooking
- Emergency allergy help in KoreaWhat to do and say if a reaction starts
- Halal food in KoreaWhere pork, alcohol, and non-halal meat hide in Korean cooking
- Temple food and Buddhist vegetarian dining in KoreaWhere garlic, green onion, and other pungent vegetables hide
Sources we checked
Each finding on this page lists the recipes and references it is based on. Source titles appear in their original language and are not translated, and each link opens the other site in a new tab.
Show the 12 sources behind each finding
What usually goes in
Wheat · Usually in it
Pork · Usually in it
- Wikipedia, "Mandu (food)" — pan-fried gun-mandu, steamed jjin-mandu, boiled mul-mandu; wang-mandu stuffed with pork and vegetables; kimchi-mandu contains kimchi; vegetable-only so-mandu (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「김치만두 만들기 | 돼지고기 듬뿍 넣은 김치만두 황금레시피」 — 돼지고기 · 두부 · 당면 · 숙주, 간장 · 다진마늘 · 참기름 · 참깨, 맛술(또는 미림) (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「새우만두/고기만두/김치만두 집만두가 최고로 맛있지」 — 새우 · 돼지고기 · 두부 · 당면, 소 양념에 굴소스 · 간장, 맛술 (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「부추만두 만드는법~직접 반죽해 만든 만두피」 — 만두피 반죽에 중력분 밀가루, 소에 돼지고기 · 달걀, 초간장(간장 · 식초 · 다진마늘) (opens in a new tab)
Soybean · Usually in it
- 나무위키, 「만두」 — 밀가루피에 고기 · 두부 · 채소 소; 한국 만두는 두부와 당면이 거의 필수 (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「김치만두 만들기 | 돼지고기 듬뿍 넣은 김치만두 황금레시피」 — 돼지고기 · 두부 · 당면 · 숙주, 간장 · 다진마늘 · 참기름 · 참깨, 맛술(또는 미림) (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「부추만두 만드는법~직접 반죽해 만든 만두피」 — 만두피 반죽에 중력분 밀가루, 소에 돼지고기 · 달걀, 초간장(간장 · 식초 · 다진마늘) (opens in a new tab)
Garlic · Usually in it
- 만개의레시피, 「김치만두 만들기 | 돼지고기 듬뿍 넣은 김치만두 황금레시피」 — 돼지고기 · 두부 · 당면 · 숙주, 간장 · 다진마늘 · 참기름 · 참깨, 맛술(또는 미림) (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「김치만두속 만들기 예쁘고 맛있는 손만두 빚기」 — 돼지고기 · 두부 · 달걀 · 양파 · 다진마늘 · 밀가루 · 당면 (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「김치만두」 — 소고기 · 돼지고기 · 두부 · 달걀, 다진마늘 · 간장 · 참기름 (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「부추만두 만드는법~직접 반죽해 만든 만두피」 — 만두피 반죽에 중력분 밀가루, 소에 돼지고기 · 달걀, 초간장(간장 · 식초 · 다진마늘) (opens in a new tab)
Sesame · Usually in it
Eggs · Sometimes in it
Beef · Sometimes in it
Onion · Sometimes in it
Shrimp · Sometimes in it
Jeotgal and fish sauce · Sometimes in it
Shellfish · Sometimes in it
Perilla seed · Sometimes in it
Common variations
김치만두 · Kimchi mandu
- 한식문화상자, 「배추김치」 레시피 — 양념 재료에 새우젓, 없으면 멸치액젓으로 대신 (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia, "Mandu (food)" — pan-fried gun-mandu, steamed jjin-mandu, boiled mul-mandu; wang-mandu stuffed with pork and vegetables; kimchi-mandu contains kimchi; vegetable-only so-mandu (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia, "Kimchi" — jeotgal (salted seafood) among common seasonings; salted shrimp in central regions, salted anchovy in the south (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「김치만두 만들기 | 돼지고기 듬뿍 넣은 김치만두 황금레시피」 — 돼지고기 · 두부 · 당면 · 숙주, 간장 · 다진마늘 · 참기름 · 참깨, 맛술(또는 미림) (opens in a new tab)
고기만두 · Meat mandu
새우만두 · Shrimp mandu
Diets
Vegan · Not suitable
- 한식문화상자, 「배추김치」 레시피 — 양념 재료에 새우젓, 없으면 멸치액젓으로 대신 (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia, "Mandu (food)" — pan-fried gun-mandu, steamed jjin-mandu, boiled mul-mandu; wang-mandu stuffed with pork and vegetables; kimchi-mandu contains kimchi; vegetable-only so-mandu (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「김치만두 만들기 | 돼지고기 듬뿍 넣은 김치만두 황금레시피」 — 돼지고기 · 두부 · 당면 · 숙주, 간장 · 다진마늘 · 참기름 · 참깨, 맛술(또는 미림) (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「김치만두속 만들기 예쁘고 맛있는 손만두 빚기」 — 돼지고기 · 두부 · 달걀 · 양파 · 다진마늘 · 밀가루 · 당면 (opens in a new tab)
Lacto-ovo vegetarian · Not suitable
- Wikipedia, "Mandu (food)" — pan-fried gun-mandu, steamed jjin-mandu, boiled mul-mandu; wang-mandu stuffed with pork and vegetables; kimchi-mandu contains kimchi; vegetable-only so-mandu (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「김치만두 만들기 | 돼지고기 듬뿍 넣은 김치만두 황금레시피」 — 돼지고기 · 두부 · 당면 · 숙주, 간장 · 다진마늘 · 참기름 · 참깨, 맛술(또는 미림) (opens in a new tab)
Halal · Not suitable
No pork · Not suitable
- Wikipedia, "Mandu (food)" — pan-fried gun-mandu, steamed jjin-mandu, boiled mul-mandu; wang-mandu stuffed with pork and vegetables; kimchi-mandu contains kimchi; vegetable-only so-mandu (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「김치만두 만들기 | 돼지고기 듬뿍 넣은 김치만두 황금레시피」 — 돼지고기 · 두부 · 당면 · 숙주, 간장 · 다진마늘 · 참기름 · 참깨, 맛술(또는 미림) (opens in a new tab)
- 만개의레시피, 「새우만두/고기만두/김치만두 집만두가 최고로 맛있지」 — 새우 · 돼지고기 · 두부 · 당면, 소 양념에 굴소스 · 간장, 맛술 (opens in a new tab)
Each dish is researched by hand from the sources we checked, and nothing here is generated automatically. Recipes vary from kitchen to kitchen, so always confirm with the staff before you order.