Japanese Meatballs Recipes

STICKY ASIAN MEATBALLS RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a standard size baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat, set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk and panko breadcrumbs. Allow to soak for 5 minutes. Add the pork, egg, garlic, green onion, carrot, soy sauce, ginger, salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix together just until combined (overworking it will cause the meatballs to be dense).
• Shape into meatballs and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until cooked throughout (internal temperature of 165).
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, combine the hoisin, vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, ground ginger, and red pepper flakes. Bring the mixture to a low simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Place the meatballs in a large bowl and cover with sauce. Toss to coat, serve hot. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onion, if desired.

TSUKUNE (JAPANESE CHICKEN MEATBALLS)

Steps:

• Add all the Sauce ingredients to a pot and bring it to the boil. Turn down the heat to medium or medium low and simmer for about 4-5 minutes to reduce the quantity by about a third (note 2).
• Add chicken mince, chicken fat and salt in a bowl and mix well until the chicken mince becomes sticky.
• Add the remaining ingredients, except 1 tablespoon of sake, to the bowl and mix well.
• Add the remaining sake to the bowl gradually while mixing. The mixture is quite soft but do not add all of the sake specified if the mixture is too soft to grab by hand and form a ball.
• Boil water in a pot. Coat a cutlery spoon with oil (not in ingredients).
• Grab chicken mince with the left hand (I am a right hander) and squeeze out mince through the thumb and the index finger. The mince will come out forming a round shape (note 3).
• Take the meatball with the spoon and drop it into the pot. Repeat this for the rest of the mince (see the step-by-step photo in post).
• Boil meatballs for 5-7 minutes until cooked through (note 4). Take the meatballs out and put aside. Cook them in batches so that the surface of the boiling water is filled with no more than one layer of the meatballs.
• Heat griller, griddle or BBQ (note 6). Oil the rack/grill where you place the meatballs.
• Thread 3 Tsukune onto flat skewers (note 7).
• Baste tsukune with the sauce using a brush and cook under the griller or on the griddle/BBQ for 1-2 minutes until the meatballs are slightly burnt.
• Turn over the skewers and cook further 1-2 minutes. Then baste with the sauce, cook 30 seconds on both sides.
• Serve immediately.

TSUKUNE (JAPANESE CHICKEN MEATBALLS) RECIPE

Steps:

• For the Tare Sauce: Combine mirin, soy sauce, sake, brown sugar, sherry vinegar, garlic, scallions, ginger slices, and peppercorns in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer, whisk to combine, and cook until mixture is thick and syrupy, about 45 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Set aside or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• For the Meatballs: Using hands, mix together chicken, bread crumbs, scallions, egg, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, salt, and white pepper until thoroughly combined. Form mixture into 1-inch meatballs and thread onto skewers.
• Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over entire surface of charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Careful transfer skewers to grill, if necessary supporting meatballs from bottom to prevent them from falling off skewers. Grill until first side is well browned, about 3-4 minutes. Using tongs, rotate meatballs and cook until well browned on second side, about 2-3 minutes. Repeat for remaining two sides.
• Brush tare sauce all over meatballs and allow to cook for 15-30 seconds longer. Transfer skewers to a plate or serving dish, brush lightly with sauce again and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

HOISIN ASIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
• Combine beef, bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, egg, 2 cloves minced garlic, and ginger in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Form into golf-ball-sized meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until meatballs are no longer pink inside, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine remaining soy sauce, remaining garlic, hoisin sauce, green onion, vinegar, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Whisk sauce until well blended.
• Place frozen fried rice bag on a plate and heat in the microwave oven until thoroughly heated, 6 to 8 minutes. Peel back film and stir. Re-cover and heat for 1 minute more.
• Transfer cooked meatballs to a serving bowl. Pour sauce over meatballs to coat. Serve meatballs over fried rice.

ASIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• In a small skillet, saute onions in butter until tender. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the egg, soy sauce, bread crumbs, water chestnuts, garlic and ginger. Crumble sausage over mixture and mix well., Shape into 1-in. balls. Place on an ungreased broiler pan. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°; drain. Sprinkle with sesame seeds., Combine the mayonnaise, rice vinegar, and wasabi; serve with meatballs.

ASIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with high-heat-resistant parchment paper.
• Place the meatball ingredients in a medium bowl and use your hands to combine them. Shape into 24 meatballs, each weighing about 20 grams.
• Arrange the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet. Bake them until they are cooked through, for about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the soy sauce and cornstarch. Gradually whisk in the remaining ingredients, except for the sesame oil, until well-combined.
• Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly until the sauce thickens into a rich glaze. This should take 3-5 minutes. Turn the heat off as soon as the sauce thickens but leave it on the cooling burner. Stir in the sesame oil.
• Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the baked meatballs into the saucepan. Gently turn them in the sauce until well-coated. Serve immediately.

JIDORI TSUKUNE (JAPANESE CHICKEN MEATBALLS)

Steps:

• Bring 1 cup sake, 1 cup soy sauce, ½ cup mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine), and ½ cup zarame sugar or demerara sugar to a boil in a medium heavy saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced by about a quarter, 25-30 minutes. Do ahead: Tare can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.
• If using 1 lb. skin-on, boneless chicken thighs, grind in a meat grinder fitted with a 7-mm die. Divide chicken into 2 equal portions and run 1 portion through grinder a second time. Combine both portions in a large bowl. (You can also ask your butcher to grind the chicken for you.)
• If using 1 lb. ground dark-meat chicken plus 2 Tbsp. chicken fat, mix together in a large bowl.
• Add ½ small onion, finely chopped, 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1¾ tsp. mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine), and 1½ tsp. finely grated yuzu or lemon zest to chicken meat. Using your hands, mix until thoroughly combined.
• Divide meat into ¼ cup portions. Shape into balls, then form into 3½x1" logs. Arrange tsukune on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Place 1 cup glutinous sweet rice flour on a plate. Working one at a time, dredge tsukune in flour, turning to coat, and transfer as many as will snugly fit to a parchment-lined large steamer basket.
• Pour water into a large saucepan to come 1" up sides and bring to a boil. Set steamer on top and cover. Steam tsukune until just cooked through, 6-8 minutes. Repeat process with any remaining tsukune if needed.
• Prepare a grill for high heat. Place tare in a tall, narrow glass (you should be able to submerge tsukune when you dunk it in the tare). Thread each tsukune onto a skewer.
• Grill tsukune, turning and dipping in tare every 2 minutes, until richly glazed, deeply browned, and charred in spots, about 8 minutes total.
• Transfer to a platter and sprinkle shichimi togarashi over. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over.

TSUKUNE (JAPANESE CHICKEN MEATBALLS)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a small pot over low heat. Add 1 teaspoon ginger and garlic; cook and stir until slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup tamari, 1/4 cup sake, mirin, brown sugar, and sesame seeds; simmer until glaze is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Combine ground chicken, egg, green onions, carrot, bread crumbs, miso, 2 tablespoons ginger, potato starch, seaweed, 1 tablespoon tamari, 1 tablespoon sake, soy sauce, white sugar, and paprika in a large bowl; mix well into a thick paste, at least 5 minutes.
• Preheat grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Roll ground chicken mixture into balls the size of your palm. Flatten them slightly into patties. Grill until well-browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and continue grilling until browned on the second side, 2 to 3 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
• Brush glaze over meatballs before serving.