Meat Patties동그랑땡

Donggeurangttaeng is a Korean holiday classic that every Korean kid has memories of -- lining up at the stove waiting for them to come out of the pan. The name itself is fun to say and roughly translates to "round thing," which is about as straightforward as food names get.

The genius of this dish is the tofu. Mixing crumbled firm tofu into the ground pork does two things: it lightens the texture so the patties are not dense and heavy, and it stretches the meat so you get more patties per batch. The ratio here is roughly 2.5 parts meat to 1 part tofu, which gives you a patty that still tastes meaty but has a softer, more delicate bite.

Squeezing the tofu dry is critical. Wrap the tofu in a clean kitchen towel and press firmly. Wet tofu adds too much moisture to the mixture, making patties that steam instead of sear and fall apart in the pan.

The double coating -- flour then egg -- creates that signature golden shell. It is the same technique used for gochujeon and other Korean jeon. The flour gives the egg something to grab onto, and the egg sets into a thin, slightly custardy layer.

Keep the patties small and flat, about the diameter of a golf ball pressed to half-inch thickness. Smaller patties cook faster, flip easier, and develop more crispy surface area relative to their size. This is not the place for thick burger-style patties.

Donggeurangttaeng freezes beautifully. Make a big batch, freeze them on a sheet pan, then bag them. Reheat straight from frozen in a pan with a little oil. That makes them one of the most practical banchan for busy weeks -- cook once, eat several times.