Spice up your meatballs with peppery Korean gochujang
When I need to shake things up in the kitchen, meatballs with tomato sauce and freshly grated Parmesan cheese is a favorite of mine. I recently improvised and added spicy-sweet gochujang to the meatball mixture, along with juicy shredded carrots, sesame oil and ginger — a fragrant medley of Asian ingredients. I also added panko crumbs for crispiness.
Gochujang is a salty, slightly sweet fermented red pepper paste from Korea. Fermented soybean powder, fermented
KOREAN MEATBALLS
Makes: about 25 meatballs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium leek, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely shredded 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground turkey pound ground beef cup fine dried panko
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger 2 tablespoons gochujang
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon salt
teaspoon black pepper
For the sauce:
cup apricot jam or orange marmalade 1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon gochujang, or to taste
1 cup chicken stock
For the garnish:
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1. In a skillet over medium heat, heat the oil, add the leeks and saute for about 7 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent. Add the shredded carrots and sweet rice and barley malt round out the mildly spicy paste’s intense umami flavor.
My recommendation is to use a small ice cream scoop to measure out the meatballs to about 2 inches in diameter. That may sound big, but they shrink during baking. And if they are smaller, they run the risk of burning on the bottom.
The sauce, made of sweet apricot jam or orange marmalade, provides a bright contrast to the meat.
These meatballs can be plated on their own or on a bed of noodles or steamed vegetables and rice. Serve with chilled Korean beer.
cook for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. Let cool.
2. Transfer the cooked vegetables to a large mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients except for sauce components. Use a large spoon, potato masher or your hands to blend together. Heat a small nonstick skillet and cook 1 teaspoon of the mixture to test for flavor. Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. With your hands or an ice cream scooper, gently roll the mixture into meatballs, about
2 inches in diameter. Place on a large parchment-lined sheet pan. Bake meatballs for 50 to 55 minutes, or until cooked through.
4. Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine sauce ingredients over medium heat. Whisk until mixture has thickened and no lumps remain.
5. Arrange the meatballs in individual shallow serving bowls and spoon sauce on top. Garnish with green onions and serve. Advance preparation: This dish can be prepared one day ahead through Step 3 and refrigerated. Reheat in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes, occasionally basting with sauce.