Mini Beef Patties are small, round, flavorful, and juicy patties served as a side dish or appetizer during Korean festivities.
Known as Wanja Jeon (meaning Meatball Patties) or by its funny nickname Dong Gueran Ddeng (meaning “round things”), these cute little patties are one of my favorite side dishes of all time. When my mom makes this, I know it is going to be a good day!
It is special because a small amount of meat can go a long way. It’s filled with vegetables and tofu that are seasoned well, and it’s hand-rolled and shaped one by one—a bit of work to make, but worth it!
Usually, Koreans would serve this on Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) or Seollal (New Year’s Day), but this is also great for lunch boxes or picnics. Here, I’ll teach you how to make them so you can enjoy them too!
Ingredients for Korean Mini Beef Patties
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Ground Beef
The main ingredient of these patties is ground beef. However, you can also use pork or mix both ground beef and pork.
Seasonings
The seasonings for this side dish are very simple. You’ll only need garlic, soy sauce, salt, pepper, sugar, and sesame oil. Trust me on the soy sauce and sesame oil combo, they will complement each other well!
Vegetables and Egg
For the veggies, you’ll need scallions, onions, and carrots. You need to chop all these finely so that they can be incorporated well into the patties. The egg will act as a binder to properly form them.
Tofu
For the tofu, it is optional. We add tofu here or even in dumplings because it extends the meat, adds additional texture, and absorbs the seasonings well.
Make sure to get a fresh one so it’s not pungent. To prepare, use a cheesecloth or paper towel to squeeze out any excess water, then crumble it to mix with the beef and vegetables.
Flour and Egg
The flour and egg are for the coating. In Korea, any meat or vegetable can become a “jeon” (meaning pancake) by simply coating it in flour and then egg before frying. I don’t like using these for my patties, but they do help with keeping it in shape and from burning and drying out. With the coating, it will also result in a golden fried color.
How to Make Wanja Jeon?
First, season the ground beef with garlic, soy sauce, salt, pepper, sugar, sesame oil, and egg. Mix well and set aside. Chop the scallions, onion, and carrots finely.
Combine the marinated meat and the vegetables. Squeeze out any excess water on the tofu, and crumble it on your patty mixture. Mix everything until it is combined, but do not over-mix to keep it from drying out.
Lay the mixture on a plastic wrap and shape it like a log with the circumference of your desired size for the mini patties. You’ll be able to make two logs for the amount of ingredients we used. Place this in the freezer for 20-30 minutes just to firm it up.
Once firm, remove the plastic wrap and slice the log into mini patties. Scramble an egg and prepare flour on a plate, roll the mini patties into balls, then coat it with flour then egg.
Place the patty balls on the pan on medium heat and a little bit of oil. Gently press down and cook on both sides until they are golden brown. Plate, serve, and enjoy!
Storage
For any leftovers, they keep well in the fridge and they can be reheated in the microwave or the air fryer for a minute or two. Serve with rice, vegetable banchan like kimchi, radish salad, or cucumber salad, or other savory banchan like fishcake, japchae, or rolled omelet on special occasions or in your lunch box.
Other Korean pancakes you might like:
Make sure to leave a rating, a comment, or tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Tiktok when you chop them up! Yeobosayo!
Korean Mini Beef Patties (Wanja Jeon)
Ingredients
- 300 grams Ground Beef
- 1 1/2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Garlic
- 1/2 tbsp Salt
- Black Pepper To taste
- 1/2 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 pc Egg
- 40 grams Scallions Chopped
- 40 grams Onion Finely chopped
- 40 grams Carrots Finely chopped
- 100 grams Tofu Squeezed and crumbled, Optional
- Flour For coating
- Egg For coating
- Vegetable or Canola Oil For frying
Instructions
- Marinate the ground beef in soy sauce, salt, pepper, sugar, sesame oil, and egg. Set aside.
- Chop the vegetables finely and combine them with the marinated meat.
- Squeeze excess water from the tofu and crumble it in the meat and vegetables.
- Mix the marinated meat, veggies, and tofu well until they are well incorporated. Refrain from over-mixing.
- Lay a plastic wrap on a surface, form a log shape from the patty mixture, then wrap it like a sausage. Place it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes until firm.
- Once firm, remove the plastic wrap and slice into mini patties. Roll into balls and coat in flour and egg, then place in a medium-heated pan with oil.
- Gently press down to make mini patties and cook for 2 minutes on each side or until it is golden brown.
- Plate, serve, and enjoy!
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