Wanja-jeon : Korean Begedil

heh...heh....heh.... The Koreans have some sort of begedil thingy and that caught my attention. This Wanja-jeon is actually meat and tofu patties.

But because I did not have any tofu on hand and I felt that it was not practical for me to buy a whole box just to use a little bit, I substituted with mashed potatoes instead. 

Is it any different from begedil? Yes, because it is seasoned with soya sauce and sesame oil, pan fried and is more yellow than brown. Besides, it does not contain any fried shallots and Chinese celery.

Before being dipped in beaten egg, each patty is coated with flour first, a step that we don't do when making begedil. The ones I made are not as yellow as Maangchi's as my egg yolks were kind of pale and not orangey.

I used minced beef to make these Wanja-jeon and kept some in the fridge as part of my food prep. I ate over a course of two days with rice, Spicy Cucumber Banchan and Eggplant Banchan. I really enjoyed my lunch for those two days.

These patties can also be frozen to be enjoyed later. Just defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat the next day. So easy!

Pan Fried Beef and Potato Patties

Recipe source : Adapted from Maangchi

Ingredients :

To combine together :

- 150g minced beef

- 80g mashed potatoes

- 2 tbsp onion, finely minced

- 1 clove garlic, finely minced

- 1 tbsp spring onions, finely sliced

- 1 tbsp finely chopped carrot

- 2 tsp light soya sauce

- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

- 1 tsp sesame oil

- 1/2 an egg

- 1/2 egg + 1 egg yolk (beaten together)

- some flour for coating the patties, about half cup

- oil for pan frying

Method :

1. In a mixing bowl mix all the ingredients that are to be  combined together until mixture is sticky and sticks together (use your hand for best results).

2. Pinch enough mixture to form a small ball and flatten to form a patty. Continue to make patties until all mixture is used up.

3. Coat each patty with flour and then coat with egg before pan frying on medium heat until  only lightly browned on each side to preserve the yellow color of the egg coating.