Korean Meatballs Recipe for the Popular Korean Street Food Snack

This easy Korean meatballs recipe makes a popular Korean street food snack called goji wanja that’s sold on skewers or toothpicks as fast food, served in Korean bars and pubs as drinking food (anju), as well as cooked and eaten in the home. These moist savoury meatballs can be doused in a sauce or brushed with a glaze. Serve with Korean potato salad, corn cheese or your favourite Korean street food dishes.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: snack, starter, main

Cuisine: Korean

Servings: meatballs

Calories: 45kcal

Author: Lara Dunston

Equipment

Ingredients

125 g ground beef
125 g ground pork
2 spring onions white ends only, finely diced
2 button mushrooms finely diced
2 chives finely chopped
1 egg yolk
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp gochujang optional, or to taste or another hot sauce
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp white pepper
¼ tsp salt
2 tbsp flour
vegetable oil for frying

Sauce

2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 garlic clove minced
2 tbsp water or more if needed

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

To a large mixing bowl, add all the meatball ingredients except the flour, and use wet hands to blend everything together well, squeezing the mixture. If it’s a little too wet, add a little flour and combine well.
Sprinkle a tray with the flour. Scoop out a generous teaspoonful of the mixture, squeeze it in your hand, shape it into a 3cm-wide meatball, transfer it to the tray, and repeat until you’ve used up all the mixture. Roll the meatballs to lightly coat them in the flour.
To a frying pan, pour in enough oil to shallow fry the meatballs, and heat the oil over medium-high until shimmering. Add the meatballs, ensuring they’re not crowded. As one side of the meatballs brown, use tongs to turn the meatballs to brown them all over. Once brown, transfer the meatballs to a serving dish. You may have to fry the meatballs in batches depending on the size of your pan so repeat if needed with the rest of the meatballs.
To a small pan, add the sauce ingredients, heat over medium-high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the sauce has reduced, then pour it over the meatballs. If you prefer more of a glaze, add more sugar, then use a pastry brush to coat it on the meatballs.
Sprinkle on your choice of garnish – either crushed peanuts or sesame seeds, or sliced spring onions (scallions) or chives – and serve immediately with toothpicks.

Notes

Garnish: crushed peanuts or sesame seeds, sliced spring onions or chives

Nutrition