Low FODMAP // Korean Dumplings (Mandu)

Korean dumplings, called mandu in Korean, are one of our beloved traditional foods. Among many variations of mandu, I’ll introduce our very favorite version as known as pork mandu (gogi-mandu, 고기만두) made of pork, tofu, cabbage, chives, bean sprouts and sweet potato noodles.

Guys! I’m so excited to share my low-FODMAP Korean dumplings, called “mandu” in Korean, as my first recipe of this year! A few months ago, I was asked to share a low-FODMAP mandu recipe via this blog’s comments (Thank you, @Paulina Sophie! ). Back then, I answered that I wasn’t sure if I could make mandu low-FODMAP. Because I’d tried many times to make mandu with no gluten and garlic, but sadly, I never succeeded in making “delicious” mandu without them. “Deliciousness” is always the most crucial part of creating my recipes. So, to be honest, mandu was off my low-FODMAP recipe table.

However, the request somehow encouraged me to try low-FODMAP mandu once again. And this request helped me realize that I’d kind of felt too much pressure to satisfy everyone by making FODMAP-free mandu before, even though I was aware that the diet we follow is “low” FODMAP, not “no” FODMAP.

So, for this low-FODMAP mandu recipe, I use store-bought mandu wrappers, which contain wheat, and a small amount of garlic for the fillings. And here are some tips for those who are concerned about wheat and garlic.

1. For the Korean mandu wrappers, I don’t have many brand options at Korean grocery stores here in Seattle, WA. So the one I use in this video is the best what-I-could-find. I recommend reading the ingredients on the package and choosing the most suitable one for you.

2. Mandu wrappers usually contain wheat. I’m personally okay with the usual serving size of pasta and fine with up to ten pieces of mandu. Monash uses store-bought wrappers for their wontons recipe, too. (https://www.monashfodmap.com/recipe/wontons-dumplings/)

3. If you don’t have any Korean mandu wrappers available in your area, you can use other Asian wrappers like Chinese wontons or Japanese gyoza. They all are very similar.

4. For this recipe, I use four garlic cloves for eighty mandu. This amount is tiny per one piece of mandu but makes a huge difference for the good flavors. So I highly recommend using this small amount of garlic unless you’re very sensitive to it.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. If you have any questions, let me know in the comments! 😊

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[ Ingredients ]

For 80 dumplings,

• 2 lb (900 g) ground pork
• 7 oz (200 g) of sweet potato noodles
• 1 lb (450g) of bean sprouts
• 1 pack of tofu (15.5 oz / 440 g)
• 2 large cabbage leaves (2 cups, 180 g)
• 5 oz (2 cups, 150 g) Asian chives
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp (20 g) peeled ginger
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 8 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• some black pepper