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Tteokgalbi was a royal banchan traditionally made for the Korean king. The King (like everybody else) loved the taste of Korean galbi (short ribs). But many in the Royal Court felt it was not befitting of a king to use his hands to rip the meat off the bones...

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So the royal chefs got creative. They cut the meat off the short rib, minced it and then molded it back onto the short rib bone. This way, the dish could be eaten with chopsticks. And the King could remain elegant - ha!

I also thought it was clever of them to mix the marinade into the minced meat. The minced meat quickly absorbs the full flavor of the soy-sauce marinade. You'll know what I'm talking about when you take your first bite.

As mentioned, the royal version was made purely from beef short rib meat. And for presentation, wrapped around a short-rib bone. However, in the 1950's, a restaurateur named Choe Cheo-ja experimented with minced pork and beef to bring the cost down. Her version became a hit in Gwangju. And since then, this pork and beef combination has become the mainstay in modern Korean homecooking.

Enjoy guys! P.s. I won't be mad if you try it in between two buns! 🕺

Royal Banchan: Tteokgalbi Patties

Tteokgalbi is a meat patty infused with Korean flavors.

4.17 from 6 votes

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Course: Medium

Servings: peoples

Ingredients

Meat Patty

Minced Beef - 500 grams
Minced Pork - 500 grams

Marinade

Soy Sauce - 7 Tablespoons
Sugar - 3 Tablespoons
Honey - 2 Tablespoons
Sesame oil - 1 Tablespoon
Minced garlic - 1 Tablespoon
Ginger juice - 2 Tablespoons Use a piece about the size of your thumb
Pear juice - 4 Tablespoons Use ½ Korean pear or 1 whole western pear
Spring onion chopped - 2 Tablespoons

Glaze

Sesame oil - 1 Tablespoon
Soy sauce - 1 teaspoon
Honey - 1 teaspoon

Instructions

Ingredient Prep

Take out a mixing bowl. Place-in the minced pork and beef into the bowl. Thoroughly mix the two together with your hand.
Next, let's prep our fresh ingredients for the marinade: (1) Quarter the spring onion and then chop it into small slices. (2) Cut the pear and take out the seed. Place into a blender and pour in a little bit of water. Blend until you get juice. (3) Take the skin off the ginger. And blend it as well with a bit of water. Set aside both for the next step.
Take out another mixing bowl. Mix-in all of the listed ingredients under "Marinade". (Note: Put only 2 tablespoons of the spring onion slices. Save the rest for garnish)
Take out a smaller bowl. Then mix-in all of the listed ingredients under "Glaze". Set aside for later use.
Dump the marinade (from step 3) into the minced meat. Use your hands and mix the two together until they become one - like a wet paste. (Note: The mixture may feel a bit runny, but it's ok).
Mold the meat mixture into burger-shaped patties. Set a few aside to cook immediately. Keep the extra in the freezer.

Cooking Tteokgalbi

Take out a frying pan. Put some oil in it. Turn on medium-low heat. Once pan is hot, place patties on. Let the patties cook (slowly on medium heat) for roughly 15 minutes. Make sure to give the patties a flip mid-way through.
After 15 minutes, use a paper towel to wipe-out any extra grease.
Dip your kitchen brush into the glaze and glaze both sides of the patty.
Check to see if patties are fully cooked through. Garnish with spring onion slices and sesame seeds.
Eat with rice!