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    Home » Soups and Stews

    Manduguk (Korean Dumpling Soup)

    Published 01/29/2022. Updated 01/29/2022

    Jump to Recipe

    Manduguk is a Korean soup made with mandu (dumplings). You can make this soup with any variation of dumplings, including pre-made store-bought ones and any flavorful broth including store-bought. 

    DSC3388 4 1 - Manduguk (Korean Dumpling Soup)

    The most iconic Korean New Year’s food is tteokguk (떡국, rice cake soup)! It’s very common to add mandu (Korean dumplings), in which case the soup is called tteok-mandu-guk (or tteokmanduguk, 떡만두국). However, in the north (now North Korea), manduguk (or mandu guk, 만두국), which is made only with dumplings, is a New Year tradition.

    Because the climate and land are not suitable to grow rice, this variation without rice cakes is popular in the north. Manduguk is the soup my husband grew up eating because his parents are originally from the north (prior to the division of Korea). They were among the millions who were separated from their families as they fled to the south during the Korean war (1950 – 1953).

    Manduguk is a warming and comforting bowl of soup you can easily make at home!

    I’ve already covered how to make tteok guk and tteok manduguk with beef broth. You can make mandu guk the same way using one of those recipes. In this updated manduguk post (originally posted in January 2011), I’ll show you some other variations (or ideas) so you can easily make a delicious dumpling soup at home. 

    Mandu (dumplings)

    You can make manduguk with any variation of Korean dumplings, including pre-made store-bought ones. If you want to try making dumplings at home, try my kimchi mandu or classic mandu without kimchi. Homemade dumplings are totally worth the effort! Keep them in the freezer. They will come in handy when you want to make some warming, comforting soup. 

    For convenience, you can also use store-bought dumplings to make this soup. They usually come in frozen and most likely pre-cooked. You can simply add the frozen dumplings to boiling broth to make a soup. 

    DSC3443 4 - Manduguk (Korean Dumpling Soup)

    Manduguk soup base

    As mentioned above, beef broth is classic for this type of soup. In Korean homes, it’s also common to use milky beef bone broth, known as sagolguk (사골국), sagoltang (사골탕), or seolleongtang (설롱탕). I often make a large batch and freeze some for later use. It really makes a delicious soup base for many Korean soups such as this mandu guk. You can also find pre-cooked, commercially packaged milky bone broth at Korean markets or on-line. 

    Sometimes, I like to make this soup in a simple anchovy broth for a nice clean taste. Or, I simply grab store-bought chicken broth from the pantry to make a quick meal. Of course, you can use any type of your favorite store-bought broth. 

    For a vegan option, use vegan dumplings with vegetable broth. 

    DSC3462 3 - Manduguk (Korean Dumpling Soup)

    For more Korean cooking inspirations, follow  along on YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

    DSC3388 4 1 300x300 - Manduguk (Korean Dumpling Soup)

    Manduguk (Korean Dumpling Soup)

    4.63 from 8 votes
    Main Course
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Print Recipe

    Ingredients

    • 10 pieces mandu (dumplings) - adjust to your serving size See note 1

    Broth:

    • 5 cups chicken broth (or other flavorful broth such as beef broth, anchovy broth, vegetable broth, etc.) See note 2
    • 1 tablespoon guk ganjang (soup soy sauce) or fish sauce (or omit and simply season with salt)
    • Salt and pepper to taste
    • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
    • 1 scallion

    Garnish (optional):

    • 1 egg
    • 1/2 sheet gim (김), seaweed sheet (aka laver, nori) roasted and crusted

    Instructions

    • In a medium size pot, add 5 cups of chicken broth (or broth of your choice). (See note below.) Bring it to a boil over medium high heat.
      DSC3335 640x427 - Manduguk (Korean Dumpling Soup)
    • Stir in the garlic, soy sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the mandu pieces, stirring gently so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Boil until all of them float, and reduce the heat to medium and boil for an additional minute or two.
      DSC3337 640x427 - Manduguk (Korean Dumpling Soup)
    • Slice the scallion into thin strips. Cut the thin egg omelette (see below) into strips and then into diamond shapes or roll it and slice into thin strips.
      DSC3344 640x427 - Manduguk (Korean Dumpling Soup)
    • Ladle the steaming soup into bowls and garnish with the scallion and optional egg jidan and/or gim.

    How to make jidan - egg garnish (Optional)

    • Beat the egg. You can separate the egg if you want and gently whisk each part. Heat a lightly oiled small nonstick skillet over medium heat and pour the egg mixture (or each egg part if separated) into a thin layer, tilting the skillet (similar to making crepe). Cook each side until no visible egg liquid remains. (Do not brown the egg.)
      DSC 0425 768x514 - Manduguk (Korean Dumpling Soup)

    Notes

    1. Kimchi mandu is a popular choice for this soup, but you can use any type of dumplings for this soup, including pre-made store-bought dumplings. 
    2. You can also use homemade beef broth, chicken broth, anchovy broth, vegetable broth, etc. as well as any of your favorite store-bought broth. 
     
    Tried this recipe?Mention @koreanbapsang or tag #koreanbapsang!

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    Comments

    1. Autumn says

      September 16, 2023 at 9:33 pm

      5 stars
      I made this tonight a absolutely delicuous! I added shiitake mushrooms and gochuchang (for a kick), but it would have been just fine without them. Quick, easy, and yummy. Thankyou!

      Reply
    2. Alice says

      September 08, 2016 at 10:43 pm

      I’ve always wanted to cook Korean food for myself… thank you SO MUCH for posting all your delicious recipes here! I’ve been trying a new one every month, and it’s so good!

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        September 12, 2016 at 10:33 pm

        You’re so welcome! I am very happy to hear you’re cooking Korean food using my recipes. Nothing makes me happier about my blog than hearing from the readers like you. Thanks, Alice!

        Reply
    3. Sandy says

      December 20, 2015 at 12:21 pm

      Your recipes look great, however, it’s hard to follow them–even the simple recipes. Won Ton soup for example. I don’t know if I’m supposed the slice or dice the onion or leave it whole, the same for the garlic. Just to very clear.

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        December 20, 2015 at 10:32 pm

        Sandy – sorry you find it hard to follow. For making stock or broth, you don’t need to cut the onion and garlic. That’s why I didn’t provide any instruction for cutting the vegetables.

        Reply
    4. Lauren says

      September 29, 2015 at 4:08 pm

      Do I need to add anchovies

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        September 29, 2015 at 9:26 pm

        You can use a different broth if you want. See here for a beef broth: https://www.koreanbapsang.com/2013/01/tteokguk-korean-rice-cake-soup.html

        Reply
    5. Deb Sistrunk says

      March 04, 2012 at 4:31 am

      I’ve been looking for a good recipe for this dish. I love this soup! Now I can make my own. This is my first visit to your blog. Great site!

      Reply
      • Hyosun Ro says

        March 04, 2012 at 5:20 am

        Thank you! Welcome to my blog. Hope to see you often here.

        Reply
    6. ProChef360 says

      January 22, 2011 at 7:05 pm

      You can’t go wrong with Korean food.

      It is all the go in 2011

      http://prochef360blog.com/koreaninspired-street-food-craze-food-trends-2011/

      Matthew

      Reply
    7. Anna says

      January 20, 2011 at 4:09 am

      What a pretty picture, lovely….the soup looks delicious. Loved your site.

      Reply
    8. Judy says

      January 14, 2011 at 9:46 pm

      Thank you for sharing a bit of history about the types of New Years soup which is specific to each region. I always enjoy learning about culture/history, just as much as I enjoy learning new recipes. I likely would like this Northern style soup better, as I love, love, love dumplings. 🙂

      Reply
    9. 5 Star Foodie says

      January 14, 2011 at 3:36 am

      Those dumplings look picture perfect, beautifully made! And the anchovy broth sounds so flavorful and delicious!

      Reply
    10. Kitchen M says

      January 13, 2011 at 10:22 pm

      It looks delicious! It reminds me of wonton soup, which is my favorite soup! But yours must be very different since it’s made with anchovy broth. It sounds great though. Thanks for the idea!

      Reply
    11. Biren @ Roti n Rice says

      January 13, 2011 at 3:08 pm

      I had the rice cake slices in beef broth dish one New Year’s day at a Korean friend’s home. I like your version too with the kimchi mandu. Using napa cabbage and chives reminds me of Chinese dumplings which can also be cooked in broth.

      Reply
    12. denise @ quickies on the dinner table says

      January 13, 2011 at 9:34 am

      Oh my! I have a weakness for both soup and dumplings so this truly looks mouth watering to me! The picture of the soup is beautiful – it looks like it came from a food magazine!

      Thanks for the background information on Korean dumplings and new year traditions.

      Reply
    13. A SPICY PERSPECTIVE says

      January 13, 2011 at 5:06 am

      What heavenly little dumplings! This soup looks utterly amazing!

      Reply
    14. ~Lisa~ says

      January 12, 2011 at 7:27 pm

      Love this! My fathers side is also from the North so my grandma used to love making dumplings.

      Reply
    15. Cubicle says

      January 11, 2011 at 11:42 pm

      Wow that recipe looks great. Something I haven’t tried before…Thanks!

      Reply
    16. Tiffany says

      January 11, 2011 at 2:39 pm

      It’s cold and icy in North Carolina… I would love a bowl of this soup!

      Reply
    17. happywhennothungry says

      January 11, 2011 at 2:25 pm

      This soup looks so delicious and healthy too! Thanks for sharing the background information about this soup as well. I always love learning about new food cultures!

      Reply
    18. Sandra says

      January 11, 2011 at 6:14 am

      Oh that soup looks phenomenal! I love dumplings, and your photo is amazing!

      Reply
    4.63 from 8 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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    Hi! I'm Hyosun, and I am a Korean-American mom of two wonderful grown-up children. Here, you will learn how to cook Korean dishes the way we Koreans traditionally eat at home. Read More...

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