Koreans seem to like to serve their food with a lot of little extra bits and pieces of goodness that they call banchan, and because of this I feel like I could pretty easily get along with Korean people… except for maybe one or two but I feel that is the case no matter where I am in the world.

Oh, and kimchi. Just kimchi.

I made these meatballs because this is what my family wanted for dinner. On this same evening, they also rallied against me and declared that we would not be having the apple turnovers I was so looking forwards to for dessert, instead opting for strawberry and hazelnut pie. Whatever the fuck that is.

I am not sore about this because I am not a child and I understand how a democracy works.

KOREAN MEATBALLS

Serves 6ish

500 g beef mince
500 g pork mince
4-5 spring onions (scallions), chopped
5 cloves garlic, grated
1 knob ginger, grated
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 tablespoons gochujang
½ cup bread crumbs
1 egg
Big Red Brand Special-K Korean sweet and sour sauce
Kale banchan, recipe follows
Korean pickled cucumber, recipe follows
Toasted sesame seeds, steamed rice and banchan, to serve

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine.
Form the mixture into ping pong ball* ish sized meatballs. A bowl of water for you hands is a hot tip for young players right here.
Heat a splash of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
Cook meatballs for 12-15 minutes or until cooked through, turning occasionally to brown evenly.
Turn off heat and add 1 cup of Koean sweet and sour sauce to the pan, tossing gently to coat.
Serve meatballs on rice garnished with and sesame seeds, and the other good things on the side.

KALE BANCHAN

1 large bunch kale, finely shredded
2 spring onion (scallions), finely sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
Salt to season

Heat vegetable oil in pan over high heat.
Add kale and all other ingredients except sesame seeds, sesame oil and soy sauce.
Sauté for a minute or two, until kale is slightly softened but still vibrantly green.
Transfer to a bowl.
Add sesame seeds, sesame oil and soy sauce, and mix to combine.
Taste salad and season with a little salt if desired.
Serve at room temp with other delicious things.
Kale banchan will last for a week in the fridge.

KOREAN PICKLED CUCUMBER

2 Lebanese cucumbers, halved through the middle and sliced into 5 mm half circles
1 spring onion (scallion), chopped
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon caster sugar

Place all ingredients into a bowl and toss gently to coat.
Done.
Put that in the fridge until you’re ready to go.

*they are the balls that the nice lady you met in Thailand was popping out like a chicken doing it’s best machine gun egg laying trick show stopper.