Simpified Korean Meat Patties

They're often called Wanja jun, Ton jun, or Dongarangtang, but I've always called them Gogi jun which is literally "meat patty" in Korean.

Kids love these beef and tofu patties! It's a great way for kids to get their protein and veggies. My little girls also love to push the button on the food processor/mini-chopper to cut all the vegetables, but older kids could cut them themselves.

It’s originally meant to be an appetizer or what Koreans would call, banchan, but in my house, it’s the main dish. Serve with rice or by themselves but don't burn them like I did! Scroll down to see the vegetarian version.

Ingredients:

1 pound minced/ground meat (I’ve tried both beef and turkey, but Koreans often use Pork)
18 oz package of extra firm/firm Tofu,drained and crushed. Check the label carefully as there are many different varieties of tofu.
½ cup chopped onion, preferably sweet, especially when you're not using sugar, approximately 1/2 a small or medium onion
½ cup chopped zucchini/cabbage (about one small zucchini)
½ cup shredded carrots (about 2 small carrots)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp chopped/minced garlic
2 tsp sugar (optional)
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 tsp of black pepper (3 shakes)
1 egg or 1 T sweet rice powder(optional)

1. Divide the tofu into two sections and use a cheesecloth or some type of gauze to squeeze out the liquid. Repeat with the other half. You could use a paper towel in a pinch, but be forewarned that your paper towel might rip and you might lose some tofu this way.










2. Combine with the rest of the ingredients and mix and knead until well incorporated.











3. Divide into balls and then flatten with your palms. Traditionally, you would make them into bite-size or 1 ½ diameter pieces, but I like to make them hamburger size (2 or 3 inches diameter) but thinner (think pancake) so they cook fast.

4. Put a little oil (Canola or any vegetable oil) in the pan and fry on medium heat on both sides, pressing down with a spatula to makes sure the meat is well-cooked.

Notes:

If you want to be authentic, you would nix the egg in the beginning and instead drench the pieces in flour, then dunk them in an egg bath (egg that’s beaten) and fry on low heat.

If you want a vegetarian version, you could just use firm tofu and make sure you use an egg or sweet rice powder to bind everything together.

These patties freeze well! Just place the uncooked flat patties in a cookie sheet/plastic cutting board and freeze for 20 minutes. Then take them out and put them in a freezer bag for future use. You can fry without defrosting.

You can totally just approximate the proportions and not use any measuring tools. Just be careful about the salt. It tastes bad if it’s too salty or too bland. I would make a sample patty and fry it up to taste it and then adjust the mixture accordingly.