September is here and apple-picking season has begun! We love going to our local apple orchard, picking our own Honeycrisp apples, and bringing them home to make delicious goodies! Apples are a staple in our home – we go through about 2 or 3 apples a day all year long – but there’s something about picking them yourself and enjoying them at their peak that just makes them so much better.
One of our favorite apple treats? Apple dumplings! And this recipe is a Korean twist on the classic treat. Mandu (만두) is a Korean style dumpling, typically filled with meat and veggies, and they can be steamed, pan-fried, or deep-fried. For this recipe, I like them pan-fried, to get that crunchy texture wrapped around the sweet and slightly tart apple filling.
Apple Mandu Recipe
Servings: 4 (Makes 16 dumplings)
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Rest Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Ingredients
Apple Filling:
- 1 large Honeycrisp apple, peeled and diced
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tbs ground cinnamon
- 2 tbs white sugar
- 1/2 tbs butter, unsalted
Mandu Wrap:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup water
Garnish:
- Cinnamon Sugar (1/2 tbs cinnamon, 2 tbs sugar)
Plus Vegetable Oil to pan fry.
Directions
- Heat apple on frying pan over medium heat with butter until apple begins to soften. Add lemon juice, cinnamon, and sugar and continue to cook until sugar has dissolved and apples are well coated. Apples should still be a bit crunchy and not too soft. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
- While Apple filling is cooling, make the Mandu Wrap:
Combine flour, salt, and water in a mixing bowl and mix with a wooden spoon. When dough starts to form, knead with hands until well-mixed and soft. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Divide dough into 16 equal pieces and place on lightly floured cutting board. Roll each piece of dough out large enough to cut into circles 5″ in diameter, cut out circles, and place on plate.
- Begin Filling the Dough:
Prepare the Mandu wrap by gently pinching around the edges so that they are thinner than the middle portion of the dough. Scoop a spoonful of apple filling into center of a Mandu wrap, moisten the edges of half the wrap with cold water, fold in half, and pinch closed to seal. Tuck the corners together and pinch to make a neat and beautiful dumpling. Make whatever designs you like best! Repeat with all Mandu wrap and filling for a total of 16 dumplings.
- Cook Dumplings:
Pour enough vegetable oil into a frying pan to cover the bottom and heat at medium-low until it sizzles when a drop of water is dropped on it. Watch and adjust the heat if necessary to avoid burning dumplings or having the dumplings soak up too much oil. - Once oil is hot, carefully add dumplings to the pan, being careful not to overcrowd. Allow to cook until golden brown on one side (about 3 to 4 minutes) and flip over.
- Once both sides are golden brown, carefully transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar while still hot. Repeat step 6 until all dumplings are cooked.
Serve while hot! Enjoy alone, dip in caramel sauce, or top with vanilla ice cream.
These Apple Mandu are AMAZING when piping hot! We also love them with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. I hope you love this recipe and find it as enjoyable as to make as we do!
