Beef meatball skewers

The name literally translates as ‘rice cake ribs’ as the traditional dish was made by cutting and mincing the beef, then forming it into rice cake shapes around the rib bones.

Credit: Billy Law

• serves

  4

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) beef rib or chuck steak
• 75 g (2¾ oz/½ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 125 g (4½ oz/½ cup) mayonnaise
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbsp dill pickle juice

Marinade

• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 3 tbsp grated Nashi or Asian pear, or Pink Lady apple
• ½ onion, peeled and finely diced
• 2 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2-cm (¾-in) piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp red chilli pepper powder
• 1 tbsp Korean chilli paste (gochujang)

If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water first so that they don't burn.

Marinating time: 2 hours

Instructions

1. Remove the meat from the bone using a sharp knife. Discard the bone then grind the meat using a meat grinder. If you are mincing by hand, cut the meat into thin strips first, then again crossways into smaller pieces. Rock the knife blade back and forth until the meat resembled a coarse paste. Transfer the beef to a mixing bowl and set aside. Alternatively, you can buy mince and skip this step.
2. To make the marinade, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pour the marinade over the mince and, using your hands, knead the mince for about 3 minutes or until well combined and sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight.
3. Roll a heaped tablespoon of the mince into a golf ball-sized meatball. Put the flour in a bowl and dredge the meatball in flour, shaking off any excess. Transfer to a baking tray. Repeat until all the mince has been used.
4. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. In small batches, fry the meatballs for 3–4 minutes until thoroughly cooked and slightly charred on the outside. Thread three to four meatballs onto bamboo skewers until all the meatballs have been used, then line them up on a baking tray.
5. Heat the grill (broiler) setting of your oven to medium. Transfer the meatballs to the oven and grill for 10 minutes, turning once.
6. Meanwhile, combine the mayonnaise, garlic and dill pickle juice in a small bowl and mix well.
7. Remove the meatball skewers from oven, transfer to a serving plate, and drizzle with the mayonnaise. Serve immediately.

 

Recipe and images from Little Korea: Iconic Dishes and Cult Recipes by Billy Law, Smith Street Books, RRP $49.99

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.