Mandu-guk

Mandu-guk or dumpling soup is a variety of Korean soup made by boiling mandu in a beef broth or anchovy broth mixed with beaten egg.

History

According to the 14th-century history text Goryeosa, mandu had already been introduced via Central Asia during the Goryeo period. Mandu was called sanghwa or gyoja until the mid-Joseon period. It became a local specialty of the Pyongan and Hamgyong regions, as both wheat and buckwheat – the main ingredients for flour – were mainly cultivated in the north.
Mandu was made and cooked in various ways, including manduguk. In the Korean royal court, the dish was called byeongsi while in Ŭmsik timibang, a Joseon-era cookbook, it was called seokryutang. It is not known when mandu-guk began to go by its current name.

Preparation and serving

Dumplings are made by rolling out thin circles of dough, creating a half-moon shape and filling them with a mixture of minced meat, vegetables, tofu and sometimes kimchi. The dumplings are then boiled in a broth traditionally made by boiling anchovies, shiitake mushroom stems and onions.
Some variations make the broth from beef stock. The addition of tteok, a cylindrical rice cake, is common as well, changing the dish's name into tteok-mandu-guk.