This recipe is for flavorful and delicious Korean Sticky Meatballs with Fresh Vegetables. These meatballs come together in 30 minutes, are so tender and flavorful yet fresh and light at the same time. They are perfect to serve when you want a meal that holds lot of taste and flavors but still feels fresh and light. They’re good to make both for a delicious weeknight meal, cozy weekend dinner or for meal prep purposes. They are both gluten, grain, dairy free and low carb.
I don’t know how many times I’ve written this, but Asian cuisine has a special place in my heart. And Korean food is just divine! On the other note, meatballs must be one of the most versatile things to cook?! You can make them in so many different ways, with so many different ingredients and you never have to get tired of them. I love making home made meatballs. They’re perfect to make in big batches, easy to season with whatever you’re in the mood for and they pairs with just about everything. Therefore I just had to give Korean meatballs a try! This might not be the most traditional recipe, but also not far from it. These meatballs are light and tender, yet hold a lot of taste and flavor. They are glazed with a spicy sticky sauce and served with lot of fresh and crunchy vegetables, cauliflower rice and kimchi. These meatballs are really easy to make and to adapt according to preferences. You can even switch the meat for chicken, turkey or vegan mince if preferred. They are both gluten, grain, dairy free and low carb.
A few tips:
- Adapt the amount of seasoning depending on how spicy you prefer your food.
- You can choose between making small meatballs or lager once, that’s totally up to you. But the cooking time will vary depending on the size.
- You can choose other vegetables if you prefer, but I like to serve these meatballs with lots of raw and crunchy vegetables. It makes such a delicious combination with the tender, flavorful and spicy meatballs.
- These meatballs are good to store in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- These meatballs can be frozen, but I would recommend you to freeze them without the glaze and then make the glaze when thawed and ready to reheat and eat.
Ingredients for these Korean Sticky Meatballs with Fresh Vegetables:
- Minced beef
- Gochujang paste
- Cayenne pepper
- Garlic
- Scallion
- Egg
- Fresh ginger
- Salt
- Ripe pear
- Tamari or soya sauce (if not gluten free)
- Rice vinegar
- Radishes
- Carrots
- Cucumber
- Sugarsnaps
- Kimchi
- Cilantro
- Sesame seeds
- Cauliflower rice
- Sesame oil
- Lemon
Other recipes you might like:
- Korean Beef Tartar (Gluten, Dairy, Grain Free & Low Carb
- Thai Green Curry with Meatballs (Gluten Free & Low Carb)
- Bibimbap with Beef
- Spicy Meatballs with Herb & Yogurt Sauce (Vegan & Gluten Free)
- North African Meatballs on Cauliflower Purée with Chermoula
Korean Sticky Meatballs with Fresh Vegetables (Gluten, Grain, Dairy Free & Low Carb)
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 500 g Minced beef
- 1-2 tbsp Gochujang paste (depending on how spicy you like it)
- 1/2-1 tsp Cayenne pepper
- 2 Garlic cloves minced
- 2 Scallions thinly sliced
- 1 Egg lighly beaten
- 1/2-1 tbsp Fresh ginger peeled and grated or minced
- Salt, to taste
For the glaze
- 1 small Ripe pear peeled and mixed into purée
- 2-3 tbsp Gochujang paste
- 1-1 1/2 tbsp Tamari or soya sauce
- 1-1 1/2 tbsp Rice vinegar
For serving
- 8-10 Radishes quartered
- 4 small Carrots thinly sliced
- 1 Cucumber cut in four lengthwise and then thinly sliced
- 12 Sugarsnaps thinly sliced
- 1 small jar of Kimchi (optional)
- Cilantro, to garnish
- Sesame seeds, to garnish
- 2-3 dl Cauliflower rice (optional)
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
- 1/2-1 Lemon juiced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celcius.
- Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs in a bowl. Don't blend too much, just until you have a smooth texture. You don't want the meatballs to be too dense, that will might make them a bit dry and boring.
- Form equally sized meatballs (about 12-16, depending on how big you prefer them). Place on a parchment covered baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10-14 minutes (depending on how big your meatballs are and how cooked though you prefer them).
- Meahwhile mix the pear into purée and then combine with the other ingredients for the glaze in a small pot. Let it shimmer on low heat while stirring regularly. Don't let the sauce burn.
- Slice and dice all the vegetables.
- Make cauliflower rice if making your own.
- Preheat a nonstick pan over medium heat with some sesame oil.
- Add the cauliflower rice and fry for 1-2 minutes. It should only get warm and a little browned and not cooked though.
- When the meatballs are done take them out of the oven. Brush or dip them in the glaze.
- Place meatballs, vegetables in bowls. Garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds and serve with cauliflower rice and kimchi (if using) on the side.