Fall Dosirak Special. For many Koreans, these Koreans meatballs are the very definition of childhood. They’re served every week at school cafeterias. Found in many $5 convenience mart lunch boxes. And even made with the family during Korean Thanksgiving. I loved dipping them Ketchup and eating it on top of some hot rice! So simple, but savory and filling. Since today is a dosirak recipe – let’s mix it up with another banchan. Hmm… what about Stir-fried Garlic Scapes with Eomuk (fishcakes)? 🙋♂️
The banchan recipes below will create enough servings for 3-4 people. So pack a few in your dosirak – and store the rest in your refrigerator. These instructions are relatively straight forward… but a few cooking notes for each:
Korean Meatballs (are known as Dong-gue-rang-taeng):
- Use a mixture of beef and pork for the best flavor
- Make sure to squeeze the water out of the tofu before crumbling it – this way the meat mixture doesn’t turn watery
- Pan-fry the meatballs on a medium-low. If the heat is too high, you’ll burn the egg-coating (no good!). Reduce the heat to a low if the surface browns too quickly!
- When storing the leftover (uncooked) meatballs, place them in the freezer first for about 1 hour – this way they firm up and don’t stick to each other. Afterwards, collect into into a ziploc bag and store into the freezer!
Note: Korean meatballs are typically bland as they’re served with a soy-sauce dipping sauce. However, we will add enough salt in our recipe, where you really don’t need the soy sauce!
Garlic Scape & Eomuk Stirfry
- Make sure to blanche BOTH the garlic scapes & eomuk in water. Or else the ingredients will taste too crunchy or firm
- If you can’t find fishcake or don’t like it, swap it out with peeled shrimp. Will taste just as nice!
Enjoy the lunchbox recipe and get some fresh fruit in there too!
P.s. This past weekend, I tried fresh figs for the first time! I was mind-blown… how can it taste so sweet and heavenly… My goodness 😝
Stay healthy ya’ll – Daniel out 🕺🕺🕺
Fall Special Dosirak - Korean Meatballs, Garlic Scapes & Eomuk, Fresh Figs
Ingredients
Korean Meatballs
- 100 grams Minced Beef
- 200 grams Minced Pork
- 150 grams Tofu
- 1/3 large Onion
- 1/5 whole Carrot (make an equal size pile to your diced onion)
- 2 stalks Spring Onion (make an equal size pile to your diced onion)
Meatball Seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 1/2 Tablespoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon (!) Minced Ginger (optional)
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
- 5-6 Cracks Black Pepper
Meatball Coating
- 2 Whole Eggs
- 1 Cup Flour
Garlic Scapes & Eomuk Stirfry
- 3 cups Garlic Scapes
- 1 cup Eomuk (Fish Cakes)
- 1/2 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
Garlic Scapes (Stir-fry seasoning)
- 1.5 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Water
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 1 teaspoon (!) Salt
- 1/2 Tablespoon Gochugaru
Optional Banchans
- 1 Fresh Fig
- Small piece Cucumber Kimchi
Instructions
Korean Meatballs
- Dice Carrot, Onion and Spring Onion into small pieces (chop them very finely - you don't want big pieces poking out of the meatball). They should be roughly equal-sized piles.
- Take out a squeeze bag or cheese cloth. Squeeze the water out of the tofu block (try to get out as much water as you can). Then use your knife to smash and crumble the block of tofu into small crumbles (reference video).
- Take out a mixing bowl. Place in the minced pork and beef. Then add in the finely diced carrot, onion and spring onions. Add in the mashed tofu crumbles.
- Then season the mixture with Minced Garlic (1 Tablespoon), Salt (1/2 Tablespoon), Minced Ginger (1/2 teaspoon!), Sesame Oil (1 Tablespoon) and Black Pepper (5-6 cracks).
- Use your hands to squeeze the mixture well - so it combines well!
- Shape the meat mixture into small rounds. (Don't make them too big heh!)
- Now let's make the coating: Crack 2 eggs and whisk in a bowl. Then pour some flour into separate plate.
- Place frying pan on a medium-low heat. Place some oil in. Once the frying pan is hot, dip each meatball into the flour first. Then submerge into the egg mixture. Then immediately place onto the hot frying pan. Repeat for however many meatballs you want.
- Fry each meatball on both sides for 3-5 minutes. Take it off when the meatball is fully cooked through. (If you see that one side is cooking too quickly, reduce the heat! Best to cook on lower heat)
- Serve with some hot rice. (Optional: Serve with some soy sauce on the side)
Garlic Scapes & Eomuk Stir-fry
- Cut whole garlic scapes into smaller bite-sized pieces (about the length of your pinky). Measure about 3 standard cups worth.
- Cut your Eomuk (fishcakes) into similar bite-sized rectangles.
- Make stir-fry sauce: Mix Soy Sauce (1.5 Tablespoons), Water (1 Tablespoon), Honey (1 Tablespoon), Salt (1 teaspoon!), Gochugaru (1/2 Tablespoon).
- Fill a wok or pot with water. Season with a few shakes of salt. Once its boiling, blanche the garlic scapes for only 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, drain the water immedieately and let the garlic scapes drip off excess water in a strainer.
- Then fill your wok or pot with water again. Once its boiling, blanche the emouk for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, drain the water and let the eomuk drip-off excess water in a strainer.
- Now put a frying pan or wok on medium-high heat. Put some oil in it. Once it's hot, place in some minced garlic (1/2 Tablespoon). Once you see the garlic pieces start to sizzle, add in the blanched garlic scapes. Stir-fry it all around until you see the garlic scapes start to slightly blister.
- Then add in the blacnehd eomuk pieces. Stir-fry it around for another 30 seconds or until the eomuk gets a slight browning on them.
- Add in the seasoning sauce. (But don't add-in all of the sauce - start with about 1/2). Then stir-fry it all together.
- The stir-fry should be ready - serve and eat with rice!
