Jjinmandoo (찐만두)

In cold weather, I love eating mandoo (만두), Korean dumplings. This recipe is for jjinmandoo (찐만두), steamed dumplings with kimchi, tofu, and mung bean sprouts inside. Lunar New Year is approaching on January 31st, on which Koreans traditionally eat tteogkuk (떡국), to which dumplings are commonly added. I've added a recipe for tteogkuk below.

Jjinmandoo (찐만두)(vegan)
Makes 38-40 mandoo

1 block tofu 
1/2 pound mung bean sprouts, tails trimmed
1/2 pound kimchi (drained)
2 scallions, chopped
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 package of dumpling wrappers (만두피)(they usually come in a package of 60; check package to see if they are vegan or  not)
Small bowl of cold water
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tspn rice vinegar

Mash the tofu and squeeze in a cheese cloth to get all the water out of the tofu. If you don't have a cheese cloth, you can also wrap the tofu block in a towel and place a bowl or other weight on top or put the tofu on a plate and surround with salt for a few hours to draw the water out and mash after.

In a large bowl, mix together the tofu, mung bean sprouts, kimchi, scallions, sesame oil, and garlic together. 

Place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the filling in the center of a wrapper. Use your finger to apply the cold water to the outer rim of the wrapper to help seal the mandoo. Fold the wrapper in half over the filling to form a semicircle and press the edges together to seal. Continue to assemble the mandoo with the remaining ingredients. 

Steam the mandoo in a steamer over boiling water for about 10 minutes. 

Mix together soy sauce and vinegar to make a dipping sauce for the mandoo.  

Tteokguk (떡국), vegan
Makes about 3 servings

7 cups water
1/2 pound dried, sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 pound sliced tteok (떡), rice cakes 
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
3 green onions, sliced diagonally into 1" pieces
1/2 tspn ground black pepper
12-15 jjinmandoo (4-5 jjinmandoo per serving)
1 sheet of kim (김), dried seaweed, cut into 1/2" by 1" strips
Salt to taste

Bring water and dried mushrooms to a boil for about 20 minutes. 

Add rice cakes, garlic, and soy sauce to the boiling water and let cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice cakes float to the top. 

Add green onion and black pepper. 

Place 4-5 jjinmandoo in serving bowls. Ladle soup on top. Garnish with kim. Add salt to taste.