Korean Beef Bulgogi Meatballs

Bring the taste of Korean BBQ beef dish, make Korean beef bulgogi meatballs at home. The juicy ground beef with savory, spicy, and sweet sauce make a tasty Korean-style meatball recipe to make you enjoy your mealtime. Serve it with steamed rice for a full flavorful meal!

I forgot to store ground beef in the refrigerator. After that, I immediately thought of making it a meatball. Not the usual Indonesian meatball, I wanted to make it more different. I immediately thought of Korean meatballs. Why Korean meatball?

I saw a Korean food vlogger was eating it, he called it Gogi wanja jorim. Actually, I was also wondering if the bulgogi sauce would go well with the meatballs. It might have a different taste and texture. Because all I know, I usually eat this bulgogi sauce with marinated roast beef slices.

This bulgogi sauce is indeed popular for its taste which tends to be sweet, savory, and slightly spicy. The taste comes from the combination of the ingredients, namely a blend of soy sauce, brown sugar, Asian pear (or red apple), garlic, ginger, black pepper, and sesame oil.

I use remaining ingredients in the kitchen, so this is not the authentic one

I slack off to buy anything that I need to make an authentic recipe. My remaining ingredients stock in the kitchen is my savior to cook this recipe. It is more simple and quick; no need to buy hard-to-find ingredients. Even though the dish isn’t an authentic recipe, this modifying recipe taste won’t hurt you.

In this recipe, I use some modifications in some ingredients. I use the Indonesian pear glaze because it is easy to find. Also, I don’t use ginger because I don’t like after taste of the ginger in bulgogi. Yet, if you want a more authentic bulgogi meatball, you can use Korean pear glaze and add ginger. Oh, I add more sugar in this recipe because I think bulgogi sauce should be sweet.

The Ingredients of
Korean Beef Bulgogi Meatballs

Meatballs

• Ground Beef – I use 80% ground beef (20% fat) because the meatball will be delicious and juicier.
• Garlic Grounded – It is to level up the aromatic and taste.
• Seasoning – I use beef stock powder, paprika powder, white pepper powder, and sea salt.
• Soy Sauce – to give savory taste.
• Oil – I use sesame oil and vegetable oil. Sesame oil is to add to the meat dough. Vegetable oil is to use on hand to make the dough isn’t sticky. Also, use it to saute the meatball.
• Breadcrumbs – add the crunchiness.

Bulgogi Sauce

• Soy Sauce – You can use less soy sauce if you don’t like too salty.
• Onion – adding the tasty aroma and sweet taste.
• Sesame Oil – It is a must for bulgogi sauce.
• Sugar – I use more sugar because I want to make the sauce sweeter.
• Ketchup – I modify the sauce by adding the ketchup.
• Chili Sauce – it is for a kick. You can use sriracha or gochujang if you like spicy.
• Pear grounded – I use pear that is commonly found in Indonesia, so it is not sweet enough for bulgogi sauce. Korean pear is really sweet, so that’s why I add sugar. You can use apricot or apple if you don’t find typical Korean pear.
• Water and Cornstarch – to make the sauce thicker.
• Green Onion and Sesame Seeds – for garnish.

How to Make
Korean Beef Bulgogi Meatballs

Meatballs

Mix all the meatball ingredients until evenly distributed.

Shape about 1 tbsp meatball batter into a ball. Do the same with the rest of the meatball batter.

In a pan, heat the cooking oil over medium heat.

Fry the meatballs until nice and golden.

After the meatballs are cooked, transfer them to a bowl. Set aside.

Bulgogi Sauce

Mix all the bulgogi sauce except onion until evenly distributed.

In a pan, heat the cooking oil over medium heat.

Sauté for few minutes until the onion is fragrant and translucent.

Add bulgogi sauce, saute and stir for about 2 minutes so it’s caramelized.

Add meatballs and sauté until the bulgogi sauce seeps into all the meatballs.

Turn off the heat.

Place warm rice into a plate, the put the Korean bulgogi meatballs on top of warm rice.

Lastly, garnish with green onion and sesame seeds.

Your Korean bulgogi meatballs are ready to serve. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

• You can add some mushrooms, tofu, or finely chop vegetables to the meatball. It will add flavor and texture.
• I don’t use ginger because I don’t like it. If you want more Korean taste you can add it a bit.
• In this recipe, I fry the meatball with a little bit of vegetable oil. If you like other methods such as baking or grilling, you can do it also.
• For a kick, you can use sriracha, chili sauce, or gochujang if you like spicy.
• I use pear that is commonly found in Indonesia, so it is not sweet enough for bulgogi sauce. You can use apricot or apple if you don’t find typical Korean pear.
• Pay attention to the so sauce that you use because the characteristic flavor of so sauce is different. Sometimes you need to adjust the measurements.

How to Store

If you want to keep it or make it ahead, you need to store the meatballs and sauce in different containers. You can freeze them. They can be kept for 2 months in frozen condition. If you want to store the leftover of the dish without separate sauce, freeze it. Then, you can reheat it. Yet, it will be last for 2-3 days only.

Do you still have ground beef? Try these recipes!

• Meatball Vermicelli Stir Fry
• Beef Ramen Stir Fry
• Beef Potato Croquettes
• Kiwi Beef Toast Sandwich

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