Korean Glazed Meatballs

30 mins Prep Time

15 mins Cook Time

Written By

Nadia Boachie

This Korean meatball recipe is from the Korean Bapsang blog. I did not change a thing about this recipe because it is phenomenal! The original recipe is made by Hyosun, a Korean-American mom that is running a phenomenal blog and sharing traditional Korean recipes that she grew up on. Think juicy, extremely flavourful meatballs that are enhanced with a delicious umami sweet glaze. They are perfect as an appetizer, served with toothpicks or can be eaten as a main protein alongside rice and veggies. These meatballs are difficult to mess up. When making meatballs, the only advice I could not stress enough is to very finely mince any additions like onions or mushrooms. This will keep your meatballs from falling apart.

Ingredients

Meatballs

1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
4 to 5 fresh shiitake or any mushroom caps, finely chopped
1/4 medium onion, finely chopped
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, finely grated
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup cornstarch or flour, for dredging

Sauce

1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice wine or mirin
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons oligodang (corn syrup substitute)
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1"-inch piece ginger, thinly sliced

Garnish

Chopped peanuts or pine nuts
Chopped scallion

Directions

Korean Glazed Meatballs

5 Steps

Step 1

Finely chop the mushrooms, onion and scallions. In a medium sized bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients by hand until evenly dispersed.
Step 2

Shape the mixture into about 1 1/4"-inch balls. Dredge the meatballs in the cornstarch or flour to lightly coat.
Step 3

Heat a tablespoon of neutral oil in a pan over medium heat. Add half of the meatballs to the pan. Turning as necessary, fry until all sides are golden brown but not cooked through, about 5 minutes. The meatballs will finish cooking in the sauce. Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining meatballs.
Step 4

Add all the sauce ingredients to another pan. Boil over medium heat until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 3 – 4 minutes.
Step 5

Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer until the sauce becomes a thick glaze, turning to coat evenly, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the optional garnish. Serve warm with your choice of vegetables.