Swedish Meatballs with Gochujang Twist

You know about Swedish meatballs, but have you ever tried Swedish meatballs with a Korean twist?

Chef Kyungsik Nam works at Aquavit, a trend-setting Nordic cuisine restaurant in New York City that’s been honored with not one but two Michelin stars. Today, he shares with us his fan-favorite recipe for a unique approach to this beloved mainstay.

“This dish combines some of the most popular menu items and ingredients from the two countries that are important to me now; the famous Swedish meatballs, and Korean-style potato pancakes with Gochujang,” Nam says. “With this recipe, I think any avid home cooks will enjoy making it in their home kitchen, but I also hope it challenges you all to think across the borders of different cuisines.”

Nam’s version is served with potato pancakes, a staple of Korean cuisine, but the thing that really pushes this dish over the edge is the Gochujang cream sauce. Once you master this flavor combination, you can try the sauce with other proteins or sides that your family might enjoy.

When rolling up your sleeves and digging in to make Nam’s recipe your own, he asks you to keep a few tips in mind.

“If you like the crispy texture, render the bacon further and use it as a garnish to top of the pancake,” he says. “If you want the pancake to be more crispy, add some more oil and spread the pancake wider and thinner. For the meatball, soak the breadcrumb with milk before you mix the ingredients, which will create an overall more smooth and creamy texture.”

This recipe serves eight and will absolutely wow anyone who comes over for dinner. Bon appetit, or as they say in Sweden, “smaklig måltid”—or as they say in Korea, “Jal moke get sum nida!”

Swedish meatball with Gochujang Cream Sauce and Potato Pancake

Ingredients:

Meatballs

½ cup bread crumbs
1 cup whole milk
½ tsp allspice
2 tsp salt
2 tsp mustard, preferably Swedish
1 large egg
1 pound ground beef
1 ground pork
4 tbsp unsalted butter

Gochujang cream sauce

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
3 oz bacon
1tbsp curry powder
3 tbsp chilly powder, preferably Korean
2 tbsp Gochujang
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp butter

Potato pancake

2 lbs potato (high starch)
4 tbsp kosher salt
8 cups water
Cooking oil as needed
Chive, red onion chopped, sour cream (for garnish) as needed

Directions:

Swedish meatballs

In a medium bowl, whisk together bread crumbs, milk, allspice, salt and mustard.
Add egg and whisk again. Allow liquid to absorb into the breadcrumbs, for 10 minutes.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place beef and pork in a large bowl, add the milk and breadcrumb mixture, and combine well with your hands. Roll into balls, about 1 oz each, and set aside on the baking sheet. Chill 45 minutes to one hour.
Melt 3 tbsp butter in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. When butter is foamy, add the first batch of chilled meatballs in an even layer. Reduce heat slightly to medium-high and cook on all sides until browned on the outside but still slightly pink in the middle, about 5 minutes.
Cook remaining meatballs in 1 or 2 more batches, adding more butter if necessary.

Gochujang cream sauce

In a pot melt the butter and render the bacon.
When the bacon fat is all out, put the rest of the ingredients in the pot and reduce to appropriate consistency.

Potato pancake

Peel the potato skin and cut into a decent size.
Finely grind the cut potato and water in a mixer.
Drain the ground potato on a fine strainer and let them sit for 10 minutes or more to allow the starch to settle down.
Once the starch gets separated from the water, pour the water away and leave the starch.
Mix the drained potato with the starch.
Add salt with the potato and starch mixture, and mix.
Add some cooking oil to a large pan and pour one scoop of mixture to the pan. Cook over medium heat.
As the pancakes reach appropriate doneness, move to the plate and finish with the chopped chives, red onion and some sour cream.

Visit Aquavit in NYC and online for delicious dishes and flavor inspiration.