Lee Yeon-bok BTS Menboshah

Name: Lee Yeon-bok BTS Menboshah
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: about 25 cleaned shrimp; 6–8 slices bread; 2 tablespoons potato starch; 1/2 egg white; 1 tablespoon lard (pork fat); 1/3 tablespoon salt; generous amount of frying oil; 2 tablespoons minced garlic; 2 tablespoons ketchup; 1.5 tablespoons vinegar; 1/2 teaspoon oyster sauce; to taste sugar; a pinch of black pepper

Master chef Lee Yeon-bok personally passed down the ultimate crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside technique to BTS Jin. This original menboshah maximizes richness with lard in the dough.

🙋 Recommended for

⭐ Those who want to successfully recreate the authentic menboshah they enjoy at Chinese restaurants—crispy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside—at home.
⭐ People who want to impress family or friends on special occasions with a trendy and impressive dish.

30 min Difficulty Normal Meat & mains

Main ingredients 🥩

breadshrimplardpotato starchegg white

Tags 🏷️

crispy outside, tender inside entertaining dish meat dish

Detailed recipeQuick recipe

Ingredients needed 🛒3 servings

about 25 cleaned shrimp
6–8 slices bread
2 tablespoons potato starch
1/2 egg white
1 tablespoon lard (pork fat)
1/3 tablespoon salt
generous amount of frying oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons ketchup
1.5 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon oyster sauce
to taste sugar
a pinch of black pepper

Recipe 🍳

Wrap the shrimp in kitchen paper and thoroughly dry to remove all moisture.
Place the dried shrimp on a cutting board and press firmly with the back of a knife to crush, then chop coarsely with the blade to maintain a chewy texture.
Mix the minced shrimp with 2 tablespoons potato starch, 1/2 egg white, 1 tablespoon lard, and 1/3 tablespoon salt. Knead vigorously in one direction until the mixture becomes sticky and elastic.
Trim the crusts off the bread and cut into four equal squares to form perfect rectangles.
Squeeze the shrimp mixture between your thumb and index finger to form round dumplings, place them on one bread square, cover with another, and gently press to secure.
Pour generous oil into a pan and start frying the menboshah without heating the oil first, or at a very low temperature (around 120–130°C).
Fry slowly, turning frequently to prevent the bread from burning, until golden brown. Remove and drain excess oil.
Combine minced garlic, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 1.5 tablespoons vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon oyster sauce, sugar to taste, and a pinch of black pepper to make the special garlic sauce, and serve alongside.

Dry shrimp thoroughly, then crush with the knife back and chop coarsely.
Mix shrimp with starch, egg white, lard, and salt, then knead firmly to form a cohesive dough.
Place shrimp dumplings between cut bread squares to create a sandwich.
Fry slowly in low-temperature oil, turning gently until golden, and serve with garlic-ketchup sauce.

Cooking tips 💡

Adding lard (pork fat) to the shrimp mixture prevents it from drying out and gives a rich, buttery, juicy texture when fried.
If the oil is too hot, the bread will burn before the shrimp are fully cooked. Always start at a low temperature and cook slowly to ensure even doneness inside.
When pressing the bread together, avoid applying too much pressure—this can cause the shrimp filling to squeeze out or the bread to flatten. Gently press to secure the layers.