korean spicy patties with hobak namul

note | i submitted this recipe in the 'discover korea's delicious secret'. i was thrilled when there was a competition that combined both my loves together :: food and super junior :) incidentally, i was also exploring korean food in the past few months so it was perfect! wish me luck. i'd love to win! :D

i love korean food.. a lot. i have my favorites and one of my favorite dishes to get a korean restaurants is the spicy marinated pork a.k.a daeji bulgogi / daeji bokkeum { 돼지불고기 / 돼지벆음}. it is one of korea's popular meat dishes where thinly sliced pork loin is marinated in a special blend of red pepper paste with a mix of vegetables. the base of the marinade is gochujang{고추장} which is a savory fermented korean paste made of red chillies, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans and salt which imparts spicy, savory flavor to the dish. that is what i love about it ~ spicy and savory. ^^

this korean spicy patties recipe is an ode to the daeji bulgogi where patties of a mix of ground pork and beef takes on the flavors and marinade of daeji bulgogi. inspired by the tteok galbi recipe i found on aeri's kitchen blog, i came up with my own variation of the dish. i serve it with a side of hobak namul {호박나물} which is considered as a korean side dish (ban chan {반찬}). hobak namul translates to green and golden thread zucchini salad and is perfect to mellow the spiciness of these tasty fiery patties.

what i love about this dish is its versatility. it goes deliciously well with rice or between two slices of bread with a slather of mayonnaise to make it into a korean inspired sandwich/burger slider or even be made into an appetizer on its own. it's very simple and doesn't take long to make. 

it was quite the pain having to constantly take step-by-step instagrams since i was working with raw meat (washing hands constantly) but well worth it cos photo collage is the most interesting way to tell a story :)

instagram-ed :: korean spicy patties

 

 

i decided to use a 50/50 ratio of ground pork and beef mixture for a tastier combination of meat flavor while the ground beef (i used 80/20 ground beef) gives the much needed fat for the leaner ground pork to keep the patties moist. if you'd prefer one or the other, you can always opt to just use one type of ground meat. 

instagram-ed :: hobak namul (green and golden thread zucchini salad)

since this dish required me to julienne the vegetables, i used a mandolin (i got as a birthday present two years ago) for the first time. love this gadget but good gracious, one word of caution - be extremely careful cos i hurt myself on the knuckles in the process >.< i call them battle scars so it's all good. but damn you, carrot. 

verdict | it was really delicious. the heat and spiciness coupled with the sweetness of the marinade make these patties addictive. the roughly chopped shallots and green onions in the patties gave it that textural difference and color. i would call these patties packed with flavor and it goes very well with the zucchini salad ('pats self on back for pairing these two together' hehehe ^^) if you're concerned about it being too spicy, omit the red chillies in the recipe and use a milder gochujang (i used #4 since i loveeeeee spicy food).

to serve this dish, i place the warm patties on a bed of chilled hobak namul (i left it in the fridge for 30 minute or so) for the temperature contrast. the refreshing salad cools the sweet heat from the these korean spicy patties. i just love how colorful this dish is with the red chillies and green onions running through the patties, which rests atop a vibrant salad.

these are the recipes if you wanna try making these patties of deliciousness:

korean spicy patties

recipe inspired by daeji bulgogi

ingredients |

• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1/2 lb ground beef (sirloin or a beef cut with some fat)
• 4 medium shallots (or 1/2 medium onion)
• 3 stalks of green onion
• 2 red chillies (optional)

marinade

• 3 tbs red pepper paste :: gochujang {고추장}
• 1 tbs korean red chilli pepper flakes :: gochugaru {고추가루}
• 2 tbs soy sauce
• 2 tbs rice wine
• 1.5 tbs sugar
• 1 tbs honey
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 1 tbs minced garlic
• 1 tbs grated ginger
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

directions |

• mix both of the ground meats together in a large bowl.
• chop 2 of the medium shallots (or quarter of a medium onion), green onions and chillies. you can leave out the red chillies if you are concerned that it might be too spicy for your liking. 
• grate the rest of the shallots. combine all the shallots (both chopped and grated), green onions and chillies with the mixture of ground meat. mix them slightly and gently. set aside
• in a separate bowl, combine all the ingredients for the marinade. mix thoroughly before adding it to the meat-vegetable mixture. 
• adding the marinade to the meat mixture, knead all the ingredients gently but thoroughly (for about 2 minutes). however, you do not want to overwork the meat mixture (it may get tough if you do so) so you should stop once you have a homogenous mixture. 
• place a plastic wrap over the bowl and leave it in the refrigerator to marinade for about 20 minutes to an hour (at least half an hour)
• after marination, take the amount of a golf ball size and shape the meat mixture into a ball. then, slightly flatten it to create patties.
• space the patties out on a non-stick pan ( you do not need to oil the pan) on medium heat. do not overcrowd the pan so work in batches if you have to. it is important to not cook it at high temperatures because the patties will burn rather easily without the middle of the patties cooked through. 
• once the juices come out of the meat, flip it over. i refrain from pressing the patties with a spatula since that would force the juices out and make them less moist. reduce the temperature to medium low.
• flip them once or twice more and fry them until both sides are nicely browned. if there is a bit of char on the outside, that is to be expected since the sugar in the marinade caramelizes. 
• make sure the patties are cooked through in the middle (about 10-12 minutes) but check the doneness through the patties to make sure it isn't raw. patience is definitely key here, so be sure to be frying them at lower temperatures.

green and golden thread zucchini salad {호박나물}

taken from 'the asian grandmothers cookbook'

ingredients |

• 2 green and 2 yellow medium zucchini (halved, seeds removed and julienned thinly)
• 1 large carrot, peeled and julienned thinly
• salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• Ground white pepper
• 2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp sweet cooking wine
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• Toasted sesame seeds for sprinkling

directions |

• finely julienne the zucchini and carrots. 
• place the zucchini and carrots in a colander over the sink, sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt and mix. then, let stand for 15 minutes.
• working in batches, wrap the julienned vegetables in a paper towel and gently wring out excess moisture. extract as much extra moisture as you can, but try not to crush the vegetables.
• fluff up the zucchini and carrots. add sugar, white pepper, lemon juice, ginger, sesame oil and sweet cooking wine. add salt to taste. 
• to finish it off, sprinkle some sesame seeds and toss.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.