3green onions, very thinly sliced (plus an extra sliced green onion for garnish)
2garlic cloves, minced
1egg, lightly beaten
1pound ground pork
1/2cup panko breadcrumbs
2tablespoons gochujang (Korean chili paste)
1tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1teaspoon kosher salt
1/2teaspoon ground white pepper
2tablespoons canola oil, for pan-frying
GLAZE:
1/3cup apricot preserves
2tablespoons gochujang (Korean chili paste)
1 ½tablespoons rice vinegar
1tablespoon soy sauce
GARNISHES:
Sesame seeds
Thinly sliced green onion
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° F. In large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients except oil. The key to good meatballs is not to over mix them. Just gently combine the ingredients until everything is evenly distributed. Form the mixture into golf-ball sized meatballs.
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. In batches (don't crowd the pan!), brown the meatballs on all sides. Transfer meatballs to rimmed baking pan and transfer to oven. (**If you REALLY don't want to fry, you can skip this step and cook them in the oven. They won't the crispy edges, but the flavor is still amazing. You will need to add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.)
Bake 15-20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160° F.
Meanwhile, in small saucepan, combine all glaze ingredients. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until mixture is slightly thickened.
To serve, brush meatballs with glaze and sprinkle with green onion and sesame seeds.
TIP: You can make the meatballs ahead of time, and keep them, uncooked, in your fridge. If you do this, I would not keep them longer than 24 hours. When ready to cook, remove from fridge and let them reach room temperature (about 30 minutes) before cooking.
TIP #2: If you're making these for a crowd, make ahead of time (including cooking!) and keep them warm in a crockpot. You will definitely need to double the recipe, though!