Tteokgalbi (Korean Beef Patties). Rey Lopez for The Washington Post; food styling by Carolyn Robb for The Washington Post
Historians have suggested that the hamburger can be traced back to one of many possible origins, including: ancient Rome; the 1747 cookbook "The Art of Cookery” by Hannah Glasse; recipes for frikadelle, a smashed panfried meatball popular in German, Polish and Nordic cuisines; the mid-19th-century wave of German immigration - especially from Hamburg - to the United States; the invention of the meat grinder in the 19th century; and Louis’ Lunch, the place that the Library of Congress credits with serving the first fried ground-beef patty sandwiched between two slices of bread in 1900.
It’s the bread that trips most people up. Can a hamburger be a hamburger if it isn’t served in a bun? If you’re in this camp, you might say the first hamburger, as we know it today, was invented in 1916 by Walt Anderson, a short-order cook from Kansas who went on to co-found White Castle.
Regardless, nearly a full century after Anderson’s burger hit the market, Matt Rodbard, editor in chief of Taste Cooking - and a friend and former editor of mine - was at a modernist restaurant in Seoul when he was served what looked a lot like a hamburger patty. "The closing savory course was tteokgalbi. It was kind of basic in presentation, though delicious,” Rodbard told me recently. He was struck by how "ground beef could be seasoned with such care. It was the best hamburger I ever had - without a bun, of course.”
Rey Lopez for The Washington Post; food styling by Carolyn Robb for The Washington Post
Rodbard has been to Korea many times since, and when he teamed up with chef Deuki Hong (for the second time) and photographer Alex Lau for "Koreaworld: A Cookbook,” they decided that this book would be "a true documentary cookbook.” Their plan: visit a neighborhood, market or restaurant, shoot photos of whatever there was to see, taste everything there was to taste, then develop recipes based on their interviews, notes and memories when they got back home.
One day, on location in Seoul, the three men walked into Mangwon Market. There, they encountered a vendor "grilling up patties, 30 or so at a time, and there was a line,” Rodbard said. Lau snapped a photo.
A lot of popular restaurant and street food - I’m thinking of Mexico City’s multicomponent tacos, South Asia’s layered chaat dishes, China’s delicate dim sum - is too complicated or labor-intensive to efficiently make at home. But a dozen tteokgalbi, juicy and smelling of sesame, garlic, ginger and onion, can be on the table in under an hour.
Rodbard told me that tteokgalbi (literally, "cake ribs”) is considered royal court cuisine. "I’ve been told that grinding or chopping the beef [away from the bone] was a way to introduce it to royals without the inelegance of eating meat off the bone,” he said, noting that the texture and the fat content of finely chopped or ground short ribs make exceptional tteokgalbi. But ground chuck with a fat content of 20 percent works, too.
That’s because of the care that goes into seasoning the meat. Toasted sesame oil, onion, scallion, mirin, sugar and ganjang (soy sauce) are gently mixed into the beef before it is shaped into large meatballs and left to rest in the fridge. This brief rest is essential; it allows the meat to absorb the seasonings, and the sugar and salt to dissolve.
To cook them, you’ll press each meatball into a hot, greased skillet. After a few minutes, flip them to let the other sides brown. The sugar encourages a crust to form on both sides; as it mingles with the proteins and fat, it caramelizes. To finish the patties, lower the heat and cover the pan. Any caramelized sugar that has collected on the bottom of the pan will melt into a rich sauce as soon as the condensation that collects under the lid drips down. Take a deep whiff (from a safe distance) when you uncover the pan. The sesame-scented steam, sweetened by the mirin and ginger and grounded by the garlic and soy sauce, is among the best things I’ve ever smelled.
"It’s a combination that really appeals to many palates,” Rodbard told me. I can’t wait to try them when I get to Seoul, but until then, I’m making tteokgalbi at home on repeat. I’ve tested this recipe five times. I wanted to see whether I could say yes to the people who will ask if they can use lean ground meat, whether I could tell you that the salt, sugar or soy sauce are optional.
Although you will end up with a cooked meat patty as long as you start with ground meat, this version of tteokgalbi is best if made as written.
Lastly, if you are curious about modern Korean food, which has been evolving rapidly both in Korea and in the United States, I highly recommend "Koreaworld.” It’s like a film in book form, with a slate of fantastic stories and recipes - like this one.
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Tteokgalbi (Korean Beef Patties)
4 servings (makes 8 patties)
Active time: 15 mins; Total time: 40 mins
Rich and tender, Korean beef patties are easy to make at home. In this recipe, adapted from the cookbook "Koreaworld” by chef Deuki Hong and writer Matt Rodbard, ground meat is mixed with white onion, scallions, garlic and ginger, and is seasoned with sugar, mirin and sesame oil.
The sugar helps keep the meat moist as it cooks, and it ensures that the patties caramelize on both sides, rather than just brown, before the interior overcooks. Though you can use lean ground meat of any kind, ground beef with a fat composition of at least 15 percent makes the best tteokgalbi. Using leaner meat produces tougher patties that will shrink more as they cook.
Ground chuck works well here, but if you can find a butcher who will grind short rib meat for you, that would taste even better. Serve tteokgalbi with steamed rice and pickled or fermented vegetables, such as kimchi, for a complete meal.
Make ahead: The patties can be shaped and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 hour before cooking.
Storage: Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground chuck or short rib, preferably 80 to 85 percent lean (see Notes)
1/2 small white onion (3 ounces total), grated
3 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 (1/2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce, preferably low-sodium
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Cooked short-grain rice, for serving
STEPS
In a large bowl, combine the meat, onion, garlic, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, sugar, salt and pepper, and use your hands to gently mix everything to combine. Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions (about 2 3/4 ounces each) and roll each into a ball. Place the meatballs on a large plate, then cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour.
In a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Working in batches, if needed, to avoid crowding, add the meatballs, spacing them at least 1 inch apart. Use a spatula to flatten them slightly into 1 1/2-inch-thick patties, and cook, adjusting the heat as needed, until a brown crust forms on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the patties, and brown on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes.
Flip the patties again, then decrease the heat to medium-low and cover the pan. Cook for 4 minutes before flipping again, covering and cooking for another 1 to 2 minutes. The meat should release some of its juices, and the patties should be cooked to medium; an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of a patty should read 140 to 145 degrees.
Uncover the skillet and increase the heat to medium-high. The juices in the pan will very quickly thicken and lightly glaze the patties. Continue cooking, flipping once or twice, until the patties are cooked to your desired doneness, juicy and nicely browned, 1 to 3 minutes more. Divide among plates or bowls, and serve hot, with rice.
Substitutions:
Ground beef >> It’s not equivalent, but you can also use ground turkey. This recipe was not tested using a plant-based ground meat substitute.
White onion >> yellow onion or 6 scallions.
To cut down on the sodium >> halve the amount of soy sauce, though the resulting patties may not be as moist or flavorful.
Gluten-free? >> Use tamari instead of soy sauce. Vegetable oil >> any neutral oil.
Notes: Using ground meat leaner than 85 percent will cause the patties to shrink more significantly as they cook. The cooked patties will be somewhat drier but no less flavorful.
Nutrition per serving (2 patties): 384 calories, 8g carbohydrates, 81mg cholesterol, 30g fat, 1g fiber, 21g protein, 10g saturated fat, 527mg sodium, 5g sugar
This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.
Adapted from "Koreaworld: A Cookbook” by Deuki Hong and Matt Rodbard (Clarkson Potter, 2024).
