👋 Hello, Yeogane subscribers!

Do you remember the dish that Mr. Jung Jun-ha enjoyed so much last time? 😋

We've been thinking about it ever since that day, so Chef Yeo Kyung-rae and Chef Park Eun-young decided to make it ourselves! 🎉

Today's dish is [Nanjawanse], a popular menu item from the days of Hongbogak in Jangchung-dong! 🥢

It consists of meatballs fried in oil in the Southern style—you could say it's a 'Chinese-style donggeurangtteok'.

We flatten minced pork and pan-fry it until golden brown, then simmer it in a thick oyster sauce broth with napa cabbage, bell peppers, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots.

The result is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside! The moist flavor, soaked in plenty of sauce, is superb.

You can easily recreate the Nanjawanse vibe at home by simply making the sauce and simmering it with leftover donggeurangtteok or jeon from the holidays!

However, for this shoot, we ran out of gas right before the main dish, so we ended up cooking on a portable gas stove. 🔥 When the heat was too low and it wouldn't boil, the impatient Chef Park Eun-young grabbed the pan and rushed to the high-heat burner twice…

And even the story from the Hongbokgak kitchen where they said, "It looks like all the ingredients have spoiled!" because vinegar was used instead of alcohol! 😂

Yeogane is bringing back a nostalgic menu item that is gradually disappearing from Chinese restaurants these days! 😎

Thank you for visiting Yeogane again today. ❤️

🍳 Ingredients & Recipe Summary

Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside! Chinese-style Meatballs [Nanjawans] That Will Make You Finish Every Last Drop of Sauce

😍 Ingredients

Minced pork

Napa cabbage, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, peas

Green onions, garlic, ginger

[Meatball Dough] A little oyster sauce, a small amount of starch, egg

[Sauce] A little soy sauce, rice wine, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, black pepper, a little dark soy sauce (omit if unavailable), water (enough to submerge the meatballs), starch slurry

😎 Recipe (Difficulty: Medium ⭐️⭐️)

1. Cut vegetables such as napa cabbage, bell peppers, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots into bite-sized pieces. (Do not use the scraps on the sides of the napa cabbage as they make the plating look messy!)

2. Lightly season the minced pork with oyster sauce, add a small amount of starch and egg, and knead thoroughly. (The longer you knead, the better the meatballs turn out.)

3. Divide the dough into about 8 portions, not too large, and place them on a greased pan.

** 4. Lightly grill the bottom, then pour in oil. Press firmly with a spatula to flatten the meatballs into a Nanjawan shape, frying them until golden brown. (They will thicken again while frying, so be sure to press them down thoroughly!)

5. Remove the meatballs and set aside the oil for stir-frying the vegetables.

6. Stir-fry the green onions, garlic, and ginger. Add a little soy sauce and rice wine, then add all the chopped vegetables and stir-fry.

7. Pour in enough water to cover the meatballs, add oyster sauce, black pepper, and a little dark soy sauce, and simmer until slightly bland.

8. Simmer until the vegetables, such as Napa cabbage, become tender. Then, add the fried meatballs and simmer until the liquid thickens.

9. Taste and adjust the consistency with cornstarch slurry. Done! ✨

💡 Chef's TIP

The pointed tip of the bamboo shoot is the most tender.

Shiitake mushrooms are the most delicious. Autumn seasonal mushrooms like Matsutake and Neungi are also great! - If you are hesitant to use a lot of oil at home, frying them in a small amount of oil while tossing them is perfectly fine!

Adding Cheongyang peppers instead of green bell peppers gives it a spicy kick, and dipping them lightly in Doubanjiang sauce pairs well with it.

Mixing the leftover sauce with fried rice is a perfect match! 🍚