Korean-Inspired Meatballs

I wanted to have a bit of a fusion meal with Korean-ish meatballs and kimchi in a pita with a little Bibigo sauce.  The pita got a tiny bit soggy, but the flavors were what I had in mind.

I'm really enjoying being able to pull a ginger puck out of the freezer whenever I want fresh ginger in a recipe.  It takes about 15 minutes to defrost at room temperature if I forget to do it properly the night before in the fridge.  They've been going in stir fry and chai tea for the most part.  Totally worth the effort.

Since I had already gotten the food processor dirty making breadcrumbs, I mixed everything except the meat in it.  Then, after pouring the seasoning mix on the meat, realized I had forgotten the cilantro.  It did make mixing everything evenly much easier.

I didn't get the gochujang paste.  Thought about it.  Had the jar in my hand.  Then decided that one recipe plus one or two batches of kimchi a year weren't enough to make the it worth the space in the fridge.  I subbed chili powder, and it worked just fine.

1 lb 80/20 ground beef
1/2 C panko breadcrumbs
2 green onions, thinly sliced
*2 Tb cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
*1 Tb minced ginger
1 egg
1 Tb soy sauce
2 Tb gochujang or 1 tsp chili powder
Korean BBQ sauce for serving

1.  If using a food processor, ignore all the stuff about mincing.  Run a stale piece of bread through it to make the breadcrumbs.  Then add everything except the meat and run again.

2.  Knead together all ingredients and allow to sit in the fridge 30 minutes to meld.  This can also be done early in the day.

3.  Preheat oven to 350º and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or foil.  I reused a challah piece of parchment, and it worked fine.

4.  Shape meat into balls about 1 oz, or a generous tablespoon.  I used the 1 Tb cookie scoop, rounded, and got 20.  Place balls on lined sheet at least 1" apart.

5.  Bake 15-20 minutes, until well browned and a thermometer reaches 165º.  Allow to cool 10 minutes so they don't fall apart when you try to move them.  Serve as desired, with a Korean-themed sauce, over rice, with kimchi or veggies, etc.

Difficulty rating  π