Savory. Meaty. Comforting. These Korean Beef Patties were a tasty staple in my childhood home. Now, they can be yours.
Growing up, my Korean grandmother liked to pan fry little beef patties dipped in egg wash. Filling and tasty, these were a comforting staple at dinnertime that were tucked into lunch boxes the next day.
In our family, we called them Donguerang Ddeng, which roughly translates to, “little round things.” As a child, that made perfect sense. They were round and they were little.
As an adult, I tried to google the recipe. But in the vast world that is the internet, I couldn’t find a recipe for the childhood classic that we ate on a semi-regular basis. The closest approximation was a recipe for Wanja-jeon, an unfamiliar and strange sounding name. Shockingly, Wanja-jeon turned out to be the exact recipe that I was looking for!
I asked my Halmoni and mom if they’d heard of Wanja-jeon. Nope, they hadn’t. Then I asked my Korean friends, had they heard of Wanja-jeon? Nope, they hadn’t either. All of them called this Korean classic by the same name: Donguerang Ddeng aka Little Round Things.
The preparation is very Korean, as Koreans love pan fried foods of all kinds. (Think Kimchi Pancake or Saengsun Jeon.) Dusted in flour and dipped in egg wash, Korean Beef Patties are so easy to make en masse. While it may seem like a lot of work (all that dredging and frying), these little patties last for days and days.
Make these once and the leftovers will become a filling staple that don’t ever seem to run out. Like the miraculous flour and olive oil of Elijah lore, they will last longer than you think. Plus, they pack up like a dream in lunchboxes. You’ll find yourself reaching for these protein-packed beauties at mealtime, snacktime, and all those times in between.
Technically, Donguerang Ddeng or Korean Beef Patties are not a main course dish. They are considered ban chan, one of the many side dishes that accompany rice at mealtime. All to say, this is not a show-stopping dish like Jap Chae or Galbi Jjim. This is a side dish. Eaten with a bowl of rice and kimchi, Donguerang Ddeng exemplifies the kind of food Koreans eat in the privacy of their homes.
If you ask Koreans about their favourite childhood food, they may very well say Donguerang Ddeng. Comforting and filling, these Korean Beef Patties are a familiar staple that always tasted good!
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Thank you to Bessie Box for sponsoring this recipe.
Korean Beef Patties aka Donguerang Ddeng
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 8 oz firm tofu about 1 cup
- 1 small onion grated
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 egg
For dredging:
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 eggs whisked well
Instructions
- Add ground beef, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and egg into large bowl. Crumble tofu into the bowl with hands. Make sure to get rid of the big chunks. Mix everything well with hands.
- Shape mixture into meatballs using 1 (heapinTbsp of meat mixture. Gently flatten meatballs into 2-inch rounds that are 1-inch thick. Set aside on a sheet pan. Repeat until finished.
- Heat cast iron skillet or non-stick skillet on medium heat. When the skillet is ready, add 1 Tbsp of neutral oil. (The skillet should be hot but not smoking.)
- Place flour in shallow bowl. Crack eggs into another shallow bowl and whisk well. Dredge beef patties in flour, on both sides. Then dip into egg, on both sides.
- Add to skillet and fry until meat is cooked through and egg coating is lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes on each side. Keep an eye on the patties and make sure they do not burn. Turn down the heat to medium low and add more oil, if necessary.Transfer finished beef patties to paper towel lined plate. Repeat until finished.
- Serve immediately or at room temperature with rice, kimchi, and other ban chan. Enjoy!
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