Tteok Meatball Skewers with Gochujang Glaze
Juicy pan-fried pork meatballs seasoned with scallion, garlic and sesame are threaded with chewy, crisp-edged rice cakes and coated in a sweet, spicy gochujang glaze. Great as a party snack or a fun dinner with rice and kimchi.
- Prep
- 21 min
- Cook
- 24 min
- Wait
- 15 min
- Total
- 1 hr
- Makes
- 8 skewers (16 meatballs and 16 rice cake pieces)
Steps
Before you start
- If your rice cakes are frozen or rock hard, soak them in cold water for 30 minutes first, then drain. Fresh, soft ones need no soaking.
- Use cylinder-shaped rice cakes (garaetteok / tteokbokki tteok), not the flat sliced oval kind, so they thread easily.
- Gochujang brands vary in heat and sweetness. Taste a little before you start and adjust the honey if yours is very spicy.
- Have a clean plate ready for the cooked meatballs and an instant-read thermometer on hand.
Boil the rice cakes
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat.
- Add the rice cakes and boil for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once, until they are soft and slightly translucent with no hard center when you bite one.
- Drain, rinse briefly under cold water so they stop cooking and don't stick, and shake dry.
- Toss with the 1 tsp sesame oil and set aside.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Rice cakes are soft and chewy all the way through, with no hard white core.
Tip: Don't over-boil them or they turn mushy and won't hold on the skewer.
Mix the meatballs
- In a large bowl combine the scallions, garlic, ginger, panko, egg, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp gochujang, 2 tsp sesame oil, salt and pepper.
- Stir to a loose paste.
- Add the ground pork and mix with your hands for about 30 seconds, just until everything is evenly combined and the mixture looks slightly sticky.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: No streaks of gochujang or egg remain, and the mixture clings together when squeezed.
Tip: Stop mixing as soon as it comes together; overworking makes the meatballs dense and rubbery.
Shape the meatballs
- Wet your hands lightly with water.
- Divide the mixture into 16 equal portions of about 2 tablespoons (roughly 34 g each) and roll each into a smooth ball about 1¼ inches (3 cm) wide.
- Place them on a parchment-lined tray.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: You have 16 smooth, evenly sized balls with no cracks.
Tip: Weigh the first one or two to keep the rest a uniform size so they cook at the same rate.
Chill the meatballs
- Refrigerate the shaped meatballs, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: The meatballs feel firm and cool to the touch.
Whisk the glaze
- While the meatballs chill, whisk the 3 tbsp gochujang, honey, 1 tbsp soy sauce, rice vinegar, water and 1 tsp sesame oil in a small bowl until completely smooth.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: The glaze is smooth, pourable and a uniform deep red.
Pan-fry the meatballs
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat for 1 minute until it shimmers.
- Add the meatballs in a single layer with space between them.
- Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, turning every 2 minutes with tongs, until browned on all sides and cooked through.
- Check one in the center with a thermometer.
- Transfer to a clean plate.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Meatballs are deep golden brown and a thermometer inserted in the center reads 160°F (71°C); juices run clear.
Tip: If the pan smokes or the garlic and scallion bits scorch, drop the heat to medium-low; they'll finish cooking gently.
Crisp the rice cakes
- Pour off all but a thin film of oil from the skillet (or wipe it out and add fresh) and add 1 tbsp oil.
- Heat over medium-high for 30 seconds, then add the rice cakes in a single layer.
- Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, turning occasionally, until lightly golden and blistered in spots with slightly crisp edges.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Rice cakes are golden with light blisters and puffy but still chewy inside.
Tip: Let them sit undisturbed for 1 minute at a time so they brown rather than steam.
Glaze everything
- Reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Pour the glaze into the skillet and let it bubble for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until it thickens slightly.
- Return the meatballs to the pan and toss gently for about 1 minute to coat the meatballs and rice cakes.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Glaze is glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and cling to the meatballs.
Tip: Honey burns quickly, so keep the heat low and keep stirring; add a splash of water if it gets too thick.
Thread and serve
- Thread each skewer with alternating pieces: rice cake, meatball, rice cake, meatball, so each skewer has 2 meatballs and 2 rice cakes.
- Arrange on a platter, spoon over any glaze left in the pan, and sprinkle with sesame seeds and sliced scallion greens.
- Serve hot.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Eight skewers, each with 2 glazed meatballs and 2 rice cakes.
Tip: Let the pieces cool for a minute before threading so you don't burn your fingers; hold the pieces with tongs if needed.
Good to know
Tips
- Chilling the meatballs is what lets them brown without flattening or falling apart; don't skip the 15 minutes.
- Fry the meatballs in a single layer with space between them. Crowding steams them instead of browning them.
- Rinse the boiled rice cakes in cold water and coat in sesame oil; this keeps them from fusing into a clump.
- For a milder dish, cut the glaze gochujang to 2 tbsp and add 1 extra tbsp honey.
Make ahead
"Shape the raw meatballs up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate, covered. Boil and oil the rice cakes up to 4 hours ahead and keep them at room temperature, covered. The glaze can be whisked and refrigerated up to 3 days ahead."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: up to 2 hours. Refrigerator: store cooked skewers in an airtight container up to 3 days (rice cakes firm up when cold). Freezer: freeze cooked meatballs without rice cakes up to 2 months. Reheat skewers in a skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of water, covered, for 4 to 5 minutes, or microwave in 30-second bursts, until hot throughout (165°F / 74°C)."
Substitutions
- ground pork → ground chicken thigh or ground beef. Chicken is leaner, so use dark meat and cook to 165°F (74°C). Beef should reach 160°F (71°C).
- panko breadcrumbs → fine dry breadcrumbs or crushed rice crackers. Use 3 tbsp (about 20 g) of dry crumbs; rice crackers make this gluten-free if your soy sauce and gochujang are too.
- honey → maple syrup or rice syrup (ssal-yeot). Use the same amount; the glaze will taste slightly different but still glossy.
- gochujang → 3 tbsp ketchup plus 1 tbsp sriracha. A non-traditional stand-in if you can't find gochujang; the flavor will be less fermented and savory.