Braised Mushroom Meatballs
A simple braised meatball dish made with ground pork, button mushrooms, and green onions.
📝 Editor's Notes
Chupa Chups Karaage is a special recipe featuring antibiotic-free chicken drumsticks, shaped like kids' favorite Chupa Chups lollipops and deep-fried.
It boasts an excellent crispy exterior and moist interior, with added umami from Korean tuna extract (chamchi-aek (참치액)), making it a delicious dish for the whole family.
The secret to evenly cooked chicken and removing gamey odor lies in pre-boiling the drumsticks, ensuring even beginners can make it successfully.
It's especially popular as a dish for children's birthday parties or special occasions.
While great any time, it also makes a perfect picnic lunchbox item on a warm spring day.
🛒 Ingredient Tips
The star of this dish is definitely the chicken drumsticks.
Choosing antibiotic-free, Grade 1 drumsticks will ensure a healthier and fresher taste.
When selecting drumsticks, look for glossy skin and firm flesh.
It's important to carefully check for any unpleasant odors or pooled blood.
Both potato starch and cornstarch work well, but potato starch will yield a crispier texture.
Soy sauce and Korean tuna extract (chamchi-aek (참치액)) add depth of flavor, so the key is to choose products that are not overly salty yet rich in umami.
Fresh minced garlic is essential for a clean taste without any gamey odor.
🔄 Substitution Guide
Chicken thigh meat can be used instead of drumsticks.
Chicken thigh is easier to prepare as it's boneless and its tender meat is great for children, though it might be difficult to achieve the Chupa Chups shape.
If you don't have Korean tuna extract (chamchi-aek (참치액)), you can add a small amount of fish sauce or oyster sauce for umami.
When using fish sauce, reduce the amount to a 1:0.5 ratio compared to soy sauce; for oyster sauce, adjust the quantity as it's sweeter.
Using frying mix instead of starch can simplify the battering process, but the coating might be softer than the distinct crispness achieved with starch.
If you have allergies, all-purpose flour can be used, but it may result in a less crispy texture.
🥘 Ingredients
👨🍳 Cooking Points
There are three key points to successfully making Chupa Chups Karaage.
First, preparing the chicken drumsticks: twist and cut the skin around the lower part of the bone, then push the meat upwards and flip it inside out to create the charming Chupa Chups shape.
This is crucial for the appealing visual that kids love.
Second, blanching the drumsticks: briefly blanching the drumsticks in boiling water effectively removes gamey odors and helps them cook evenly when fried later.
Avoid blanching for too long (around 5 minutes is sufficient) to prevent the meat from becoming tough.
Third, the frying process: generously coat with cooking oil and deep-fry twice at about 340-355°F (170-180°C) until golden brown for a truly crispy exterior and moist interior.
First, cook over medium heat to ensure the inside is cooked through, then fry quickly over high heat for the second round to achieve maximum crispiness.
👨🍳 Directions
Add 2 button mushrooms, crushed by hand, to 14 oz (400g) of ground pork (from hind leg).
To the ground pork, add a handful of chopped green onions, 4 tbsp breadcrumbs, 0.5 tbsp starch, 1 tbsp soy sauce, and 1 tsp salt. Mix thoroughly by hand.
Form the mixture into round meatballs directly in a frying pan.
Pour a generous amount of cooking oil into the pan. Brown the meatballs on all sides to hold their shape, turning them as they cook.
Cover the pan and steam-cook for 1 minute.
Add 2 heaping tbsp ketchup, 1 tbsp brewed soy sauce, and 2 tbsp rice syrup (jocheong (조청)) or corn syrup. Mix well and simmer until the sauce thickens.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chives to finish.
💡 Tips
If you don't squeeze out the water from the mushrooms, the meatballs will be more moist.
You can substitute allulose for jocheong (조청).
This dish can be frozen or stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
📦 Storage & Reuse
Once prepared, Chupa Chups Karaage can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
For freezing, divide into single-serving portions and store in freezer bags for up to 2 weeks.
After thawing, reheat in an air fryer at 350°F (180°C) for 10-15 minutes, or microwave and then briefly pan-fry to restore its crispy exterior and moist interior.
Leftover drumsticks can be deboned and shredded for use in chicken porridge, spicy chicken soup (dak-gaejang (닭개장)), or fried rice.
🥢 Who This Is For
This Chupa Chups Karaage is highly recommended as a special dish for children on special occasions.
It will be a huge hit at birthday parties or Children's Day celebrations.
The cute drumstick shape makes it incredibly fun for kids to eat.
It also makes an excellent appetizer for adults, pairing perfectly with a cold beer.
For a more diverse flavor, serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, honey mustard sauce, or Korean seasoned fried chicken sauce (yangnyeom-chicken sauce (양념치킨 소스)).
Serving with a salad or pickles helps balance the richness.
🔥 Nutrition Info
One serving of Chupa Chups Karaage (approximately 9 oz or 250g of chicken drumsticks) is estimated to contain about 450-550 calories.
It is projected to have approximately 35-45g of protein, 30-40g of fat, and 10-15g of carbohydrates.
Chicken drumsticks are a good source of high-quality protein, aiding in muscle growth and recovery, and are rich in essential amino acids.
They are also abundant in B vitamins, which are beneficial for combating fatigue.
Since cooking oil is used in the frying process, the fat content may be somewhat high, but consumed appropriately, it serves as a healthy energy source.
Starch provides a small amount of carbohydrates, while garlic and parsley add micronutrients such as antioxidants and Vitamin K.
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