Korean Beef Mandu

Prep the veggies:

1. Add the shredded cabbage and carrot to a colander.
2. Sprinkle coarse sea salt over the veggies and massage it in well. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
3. Squeeze the excess water from the cabbage and carrot. 

Make the filling:

1. In a stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, add in the squeezed cabbage and carrot, beef, bulgogi sauce, vermicelli noodles, garlic and green onion.
2. Give it a mix for about 8-10 minutes, until the meat mixture is homogenous.

Assemble:

1. Take a dumpling wrapper and place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the center.
2. Lightly dab the edges of the wrapper with water.
3. Fold the dumpling skin over, and pinch firmly to seal.
4. Place the completed dumpling onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Repeat with the remainder.

2 ways to pleat:

1. Circular-style mandu: bring the two end tips together downward to touch, and press firmly to seal.
2. Pleated: starting from one end, pinch and seal in small increments.

Cook the mandu:

Pan-fried:

1. Add the dumplings to a cold pan, leaving some space in between each dumpling.
2. Drizzle in a little water (to steam).
3. Cover with a lid and cook over medium heat.
4. Once the water has evaporated (about 5-7 minutes) remove the lid and use a spatula to remove the pan-fried dumplings.

Boil:

1. Bring a pot of water up to a boil.
2. Add in the dumplings, stir gently and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the dumplings float.
3. Remove with a slotted spoon.

Steam:

1. Add the dumplings to a steaming rack (allow space in between the dumplings so they don't stick).
2. Tip: lightly oil the steaming rack with sesame oil, use parchment paper with a few holes cut out, or a wet calico cloth on top of the steaming rack to prevent the dumplings from sticking.
3. Bring a pot of water up to a boil.
4. Carefully place the steaming rack over pot of boiling water and cover with a lid.
5. Steam dumplings for 6-8 minutes, until cooked through. Add a few extra minutes if cooking from frozen.

Deep-fried:

1. Heat up a pot of high smoke-point vegetable oil to 400°F/204°C.
2. Add in the dumplings and fry for 2-3 minutes, until golden and crispy brown.
3. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.