Tteokbokki Inspired Korean Meatballs

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Posted: Feb 2, 2019 Last Modified: Nov 6, 2021 by Carmy · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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These Tteokbokki Inspired Korean Meatballs are going to change up the way you eat meatballs! Great as an easy weeknight dinner or as a meal prep. Make these chicken meatballs today!

Korean Meatballs Inspired byTteokbokki

Guys, I’m sure you’re bored of me saying how much I miss Korean food (ahem, H hurry up and come home so I can order 5 things off the menu and we can “share” them) but I really miss tteokbokki! We made some great memories eating tteokbokki both here at home and in Korea. I still have a little chuckle whenever I think back to our friend Kate who forgot the name of the dish so she made a little cylinder hand motion to indicate what she wanted.

So this week, since I now own a 1lb bag of Korean chili powder, I spent a morning testing our sauces to see if I could recreate that tteokbokki sauce.This meatball dish is inspired by tteokbokki as I’ve recreated the sauce to go onto of meatballs instead of the traditional rice cake and fish cake that it is usually served with.

What is Tteokbokki?

Tteokbokki, pronounced duk-bok-kee, is a delicious chewy bite-sized rice cake dish is stir fried and then tossed in this spicy but sweet Korean sauce. It’s a very popular street food item as well as served in restaurants. Note: I still remember how much more spicy tteokbokki was in Korea than it was in Canada! I had to dash over to the juice stand beside the tteokbokki stand and practically threw my money at the man to get some juice because my mouth was on fire! #WorthIt.

Want more meatball recipes? Here’s how you can make meatballs 3 ways!

What You Need to Make thisTteokbokki Inspired Korean Meatballs

For the sauce, you’ll need

Gochujang(고추장), aka hot pepper paste
Gochugaru(고추가루) aka Korean chili/hot pepper powder
Garlic paste
Brown sugar
Water

For the meatballs, I followed my easy chicken meatball recipe

Ground chicken
Paprika
Salt
Pepper
Parmesan
Panko
Olive Oil
Egg
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder

How To Make These Easy Korean Meatballs

Heat the oven to 400F.
While the oven is heating, mix together the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, panko, parmesan cheese, egg, and a drizzle of olive oil together and then mix it into the ground chicken. Do not over mix.
Shape the meatballs (I used my little cookie scooper to portion out my meatballs so they’re the same sized to make sure they cook evenly). As your meatballs will get denser as they cook, avoid overpacking/over-rolling your meat.
On a sheet pan, place a piece of parchment paper or spray with non-stick, then place your meatballs on the sheet pan without over crowding them. Pop them into the oven for around 17 minutes or until they’re cooked through.

How To Make These Sweet and Spicy Korean Meatballs into a Meal Prep

While my meatballs were cooking, I made 2 cups of tri-coloured couscous with 1 cup of peas mixed in to serve with my meatballs
Other ideas to turn these meatballs into a meal prep:
- japchae noodles
- vegetable medley
- rice
- meatball sub
- rice and fish cakes (traditional tteokbokki)
- meatball salad

Tips on making this tteokbokki inspired meatball recipe perfectly

I used my little cookie scooper to portion out my meatballs so they’re the same sized to make sure they cook evenly.
These sticky gouchujang meatballsneed to be served over carbs in my very humble opinion. Seriously, it just hits the spot! (Ok if you’re low carb, you can substitute, I won’t be mad lol)
The olive oil in the meatballs help keep them moist as well and prevent the ground chicken from sticking to your hands while rolling. If it’s sticking, coat your hands in olive oil before rolling again.
I’m a huge fan ofglass containersfor packing my lunches in as they’re great for reheating in the microwave and they don’t hold onto smells over time. You can even getglass containers that have dividers
If you want to make this into a freezer meal, you can freeze the meatballs on their own and whip up the sauce when you’re ready to eat.

TheseTteokbokki Inspired Korean Meatballs are going to change up the way you eat meatballs! Great as an easy weeknight dinner or as a meal prep.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

Servings: 22 meatballs

Ingredients

For the meatballs

550 grams ground chicken
1/2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tbsp garlic Powder
1/2 tbsp onion Powder
1/4 cup parmesan
1/4 cup panko
1 Egg
2 tbsp olive oil

For the Sauce

2 tbsp gochujang
1 tsp gochugaru, or more if you prefer it spicier
1 tsp garlic paste
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/3 cup water

Instructions

Heat the oven to 400F.
In a large bowl, mix together the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, panko, parmesan cheese, egg, and a drizzle of olive oil together and then mix it into the ground chicken. Do not over mix.
Shape the meatballs (I used my little cookie scooper to portion out my meatballs so they’re the same sized to make sure they cook evenly). As your meatballs will get denser as they cook, avoid overpacking/over-rolling your meat.
On a sheet pan, place a piece of parchment paper or spray with non-stick, then place your meatballs on the sheet pan without over crowding them. Pop them into the oven for around 17 minutes or until they’re cooked through.
While the meatballs are baking, you’re going to combine the gochujang, gochugaru, brown sugar, garlic paste, and water. Set aside until the meatballs are ready
Once the meatballs are cooked, in a pan, pour your sauce mixture in and add the meatballs. Coat the meatballs with the sauce and let everything simmer for 3 minutes.

Notes

If using minced garlic, just cook the sauce on the stove top for a minute or two so the garlic can cook through.

Tried this recipe?Did you make this recipe? I'm always so happy to hear about it! I'd love to see how it turned out. Tag me at @CarmysHungry on Instagram so I can see it! If you enjoyed the recipe, I'd really appreciate a comment with a 5 star rating! ♥

Nutrition Per Serving

Author: Carmy

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Korean

Nutrition Disclaimer

More Recipes You’ll Love

Air Fryer Korean Fried Chicken (or my double fried Korean Fried Chicken)
Korean Chicken Meal Prep
Korean Cheese Corn
Seasoned Spinach
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Silken Tofu Recipe
Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Bread

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Comments

Jeanne
February 05, 2019 at 1:16 pm

Is there another spice I can use that is not so hot as the two you show, but still authentic Korean spices? This looks amazing and I don’t want to make it without any seasonings in the sauce. Thank you!
Reply
- Carmy
  February 06, 2019 at 5:46 pm
  
  Hey Jeanne, thank you for your comment. I cannot recommend a different spice as this is what is used to make tteokbokki. I’m not 100% sure but to my understanding, there are gochujang pastes that are less spicy on their own (they have a little temperature indicator or number on the container). If you are still concerned about the spice level, I suggest increasing the amount of brown sugar and decreasing the amount of hot pepper powder to cut down on the spiciness. Also, you could just make less of the sauce to coat the meatballs so the meatballs themselves will be more prominent than the sauce. I haven’t tested this recipe with my suggestions so I cannot say with confidence how it’ll come out. Please let me know if you have any questions or if any issues arise!
  Reply