Korean Meatballs

Dinner | Korean

Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 15 min Servings: 4

These easy Korean meatballs, also known as Wanja, are a great weeknight dinner option. Traditionally they’re lightly floured and pan-fried in a thin coating, served as part of a banchan spread. My version leans into a gochujang glaze that coats the meatballs in a sticky, deeply savoury sauce. Gochujang is a fermented chilli paste, which means it brings heat, umami and sweetness simultaneously. Combined with soy sauce, brown sugar and rice vinegar, the sauce builds complexity quickly on a hot pan.

The meatball mix uses gochujang as well, which seasons the beef all the way through rather than just coating the outside. Breadcrumbs and egg bind the mixture and keep the meatballs tender. The key technique in the sauce is the cornflour slurry added at the end, mixing cornflour with water before adding it to the hot sauce prevents lumps and gives you a glossy, evenly thickened glaze rather than a grainy one. These are quick to put together and work well as a midweek dinner served over steamed rice with spring onions and sesame seeds.

Ingredient Notes

Gochujang: This is a fermented Korean chilli paste made from red chilli, glutinous rice, fermented soybean and salt. The fermentation process gives it a depth and complexity that fresh chilli or chilli sauce can’t replicate. It’s now widely available at major supermarkets and Asian grocers. Heat levels vary by brand. If you’re sensitive to heat, start with less in both the meatball mix and the sauce and adjust from there.

Beef mince: Use beef mince with a fat content of around 15-20% rather than extra-lean. Fat carries flavour and keeps the meatballs moist during cooking. Very lean mince tends to produce dry, firm meatballs regardless of what you add to the mix. Pork mince works as a substitute and will give a slightly softer texture. A 50/50 pork and beef blend is also a good option.

Cornflour (cornstarch): The cornflour is used as a thickener for the sauce. Always mix it to a slurry with cold water before adding it to the pan. Adding dry cornflour directly to a hot liquid causes it to clump immediately before it can distribute evenly. Once the slurry hits the hot sauce, stir continuously and it will thicken within 30-60 seconds.

Equipment

Chopping board
Chef’s knife
Large mixing bowl
Large frying pan
Tongs

Ingredients

500g (1.1 lbs) beef mince
3 spring onions, finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely grated
2.5cm (1in) piece fresh ginger, finely grated
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp brown sugar
35g (⅓ cup) dried breadcrumbs
20ml (1 tbsp) soy sauce
1 tbsp Gochujang
sea salt and black pepper, to season
1 tbsp peanut oil
sliced spring onions, toasted sesame seeds, steamed rice, to serve
Sauce
4 cloves garlic, finely grated
60ml (¼ cup) Gochujang
80ml (⅓ cup) Soy sauce
125ml (½ cup) beef stock
75g (⅓ cup) brown sugar
40ml (2 tbsp) rice vinegar
2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
20ml (1 tbsp) water
sea salt, to season

Directions

Prep and cook meatballs
Combine mince, onions, garlic, ginger, egg, sugar, breadcrumbs, soy sauce and Gochujang in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix until just combined.
Form the mixture into tablespoon sized meatballs.
Heat your oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
Cook meatballs for 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally to brown all over. Transfer to a large plate.
Cook the sauce
Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds. Then add Gochujang, soy, stock, sugar and vinegar. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
Make a slurry with the cornflour and water, then stir this into the sauce and cook until the sauce thickens.
Finish and serve
Return the meatballs to the pan, tossing to coat well, and cook for 1-2 minutes until warmed through.
Serve meatballs on steamed rice, sprinkled with extra spring onions and sesame seeds.

Recipe notes

Chef Tips

Don’t overwork the mince

Mix the meatball ingredients until just combined. Overworking the mince causes the proteins to bind too tightly, which compresses the texture as the meatballs cook and makes them dense and rubbery. Mix until everything is distributed evenly, then stop. The same applies when forming the balls: roll them firmly enough to hold their shape but don’t compress them hard.

Get good colour before removing from the pan

The Maillard reaction that happens when the beef surface hits a hot pan is what builds the base flavour of this dish. Don’t move the meatballs too early. Let them sit in contact with the hot oil for at least 2 minutes per side before turning. A properly browned meatball will release from the pan naturally when it’s ready to be turned. If it sticks when you try to move it, leave it another 30 seconds.

Storage

Store cooked meatballs in their sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat with a splash of water to loosen the sauce. These also freeze well: cool completely, portion into airtight containers with sauce and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating. Uncooked meatballs can be shaped and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before cooking.

FAQs

Can I use pork mince instead of beef? Yes. Pork gives a slightly softer, more delicate texture. A 50/50 pork and beef blend is also a good choice. The cooking time is about the same. Just make sure the meatballs are cooked through to 71°C (160°F) internally before adding the sauce, as pork mince requires thorough cooking.

How spicy is this dish? Moderately spicy with the full amount of gochujang. The heat in gochujang is rounded and builds gradually rather than hitting immediately. If you want it milder, reduce the gochujang in the sauce by half. If you want more heat, add a teaspoon of gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes) to the sauce.

Can I make this gluten-free? Yes. Substitute the regular breadcrumbs for gluten-free breadcrumbs, and use a gluten-free soy sauce (tamari). Check that your gochujang brand is also gluten-free, as some contain wheat. Most major brands now have a gluten-free version clearly labelled on the packaging.