Why Spicy Koreanish Meatballs Should Be One of the Seven Deadly Sins

Oh my, what a spring/summer I have had. For the last year I have been working as a hired gun, cooking for a local caterer, teaching classes as well as hosting pop ups and private dinners around Toronto.


 To be honest, I have had a hard time balancing this new schedule so it was not a huge surprise when i fell ill, mid April. What was not expected was spending  6 weeks on my ass with a lung infection followed by a family situation that took me away from home for the last month.

At this point, I kind of feel like a brand new, baby blogger, brimming with fun ideas for some new, tasty treats and I have promised myself I will slow down a bit and make time for The Yum Yum Factor as well as washing my hair regularly and eating while sitting down.


First up are these Spicy Koreanish Meatballs that I served with this addictive Kimchi Fried Rice by fellow blogger, Diversivore . These babies are sooooooooo good.

The sugar/chili pepper coating is a spin on my Vietnamese Chicken Meatballs , one of my most popular recipes but the addition of the gochgaru really adds a nice kick to the sticky, sweet coating. Be careful when baking because the sugar will burn a bit if you don't remember to give the pan a shake mid way through cooking although, I kind of like the slightly burnt, sticky bottoms that occur when you don't. I kind of like my food a bit burnt, so sue me.

These are really easy and if you aren't lucky enough to live near a decent Korean or Japanese store, you can always get this stuff online. You can serve these addictive little meatballs so many ways. Eat them, as it, stick a toothpick in each one and serve with a spicy dipping sauce as a fun hors d'oeurve ,  eat over rice or throw them into a crusty bun with pickled cucumber, shredded carrot and a drizzle of bulgogi sauce and you have a tasty meatball sandwich. No matter how you serve them, I guarantee it won't be the last time you make them.

Spicy Koreanish Meatballs

makes approx 25 meatballs

454 g (1 lb) lean ground beef
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbl mirin
1/2 cup panko
3 tbls gochujang
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

3 tbls sugar
2 tbls gochugaru (korean chili flake) or to taste, depending on the heat of the gochugaru
1 tbls sesame seeds


Preheat oven to 200C/400F
line a baking sheet with parchment

Mix together the ground beef through to the cilantro and mix well, using your hands, until just combined. You don't want to over work the mixture or your meatballs will not be as tender.

TIP: before you declare them ready to roll into balls, take a pinch of the mixture, fry it up in a pan and taste it to make sure your seasonings are to your liking

Mix the sugar, gochugaru and sesame seeds in a small bowl.

Using slightly damp hands, roll the mixture into golfball sized balls.  Roll each meatball in the sugar mixture and put on the parchment lined sheet. Bake the meatballs for about 15 minutes, giving the pan a shake halfway through. That's it.
If you choose to make bigger meatballs, increase the cooking time accordingly - if you are not sure how long to cook them, cut one in half after about 20 minutes OR cook until the internal temperature reaches about 71C/160F