Tsukune which is pronounced ‘sue-koon e’ is a form of Japanese meatball that gets a lot of flavor from ingredients such as shiitake mushrooms, ginger, garlic and soy
We are preparing this dish as an appetizer but these are so good they can definitely be a main
Make them a bit bigger and serve them with some steamed rice and salad and you have a full meal
You can use any protein that you want, beef, pork, even seafood but we are taking a more traditional approach and using ground chicken
So let’s start prepping
First off, we will need 4 ounces of shiitake mushrooms
Shiitake stems are woody so let’s twist them off and give the caps a slice
Discard the stems
Repeat until they are all sliced
Next we will need 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, 2 grated garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger and 2 tablespoons of dry sherry
Heat the sesame oil in a pan over medium heat
Add in the mushrooms, garlic and ginger
Cook stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes or until the mushrooms and garlic start to soften
Deglaze the pan with the sherry and cook another 2-3 minutes or until the sherry is mostly absorbed
Remove the mushrooms from the heat and allow to cool
Once cooled you will need 2 teaspoons of red miso which is a fermented soybean paste
Add the mushrooms and miso to a chopper or blender
Pulse until finely chopped
Time to start making some meatballs!
We will need 2 pounds of ground chicken
We’ll need the miso mushroom mixture, 3/4 cups of panko (Japanese bread crumbs), 2 scallions chopped, 1 egg white, 2 grated garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch
Add all of these ingredients to the ground chicken
Sprinkle with kosher salt and ground black pepper
Using your hands, gently mix the ingredients all together
Since we are using these as starters, I’m going to use a 1/8 cup as a scoop, you can the increase the size of the scoop and change the size of the meatball
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and give it a light spray of oil
Start scooping the meat, we will come back and roll them later
Once they are all scooped, start rolling
I find that wetting my hands a bit makes rolling easier
We actually made a perfect 30 meatballs out of this mixture
Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow them to meld and solidify
You can also do these a day ahead
Preheat the oven to 350 F
You can also grill or pan fry these
Place in the oven and cook 18-20 minutes or until lightly brown and firm to the touch
While the meatballs are in the oven doing their thing, we are going to make a sauce
To start we will need 1/3 cup of mirin, 1/3 cup of soy, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar
Place these four ingredients into a sauce pan and whisk together
Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cook 6-8 minutes or until slightly reduced and thickened
Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly
To finish the sauce we will need the juice and zest of 1 lime, 1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger and 1 serrano pepper sliced thinly
We will also need a tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds for a garnish
Add the lime, ginger and pepper to the sauce
Mix to combine
I believe in full transparency… I’m going to admit to a blog blooper
Remember those toasted sesame seeds from a couple pictures back?
The ones I labored to toast perfectly myself, the ones that would have added some extra flavor and texture to these meatballs?
Well, they remained in their bowl behind a roll of paper towels on my counter after we completed our photo shoot!
That’s right folks, I left a basket ingredient off the plate
I guess I’m chopped!
You, however, don’t have to be chopped so feel free to add some toasted sesame seeds as a garnish!
To serve, we are using flat skewers with 2 meatballs on each
Place the meatballs on a serving platter and spread the sauce over them
We also served this with extra serrano peppers and slices of lime!
Enjoy!!!
Simply Sundays! ~ Tsukune - Japanese Meatball
Ingredients
For the mushroom mixture
4 ounces of shiitake mushrooms
2 tablespoons of sesame oil
2 grated garlic cloves
1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons of dry sherry
2 teaspoons of red miso paste
For the meatballs
2 pounds of ground chicken
mushroom mixture (see above)
3/4 cup of panko (japanese bread crumb)
2 scallions chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger
2 grated garlic cloves
1 egg white
2 teaspoons of cornstarch
kosher salt
ground black pepper
For the sauce
1/3 cup of mirin
1/3 cup of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar
1 lime zested and juiced
1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger
1 thinly sliced serrano pepper
For garnish
1 lime sliced
sliced serrano
toasted sesame seeds (apparently optional, see above)
Directions
For the mushroom mixture
Remove the stems from 4 ounces of shiitake mushrooms and slice the caps. Heat 2 tablespoon of sesame oil over medium heat and add in the sliced mushroom caps along with 2 grated garlic cloves and 1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger
Cook stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes or until the mushrooms and garlic start to soften. Deglaze the pan with the sherry and cook another 2-3 minutes or until the sherry is mostly absorbed
Remove the mushrooms from the heat and allow to cool. Add the mushrooms and 2 teaspoons of miso to a chopper or blender. Pulse until finely chopped
For the meatballs
Place 2 pounds of ground chicken in a large mixing bowl. Add the miso mushroom mixture, 3/4 cups of panko (Japanese bread crumbs), 2 scallions chopped, 1 egg white, 2 grated garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch, then sprinkle with kosher salt a ground black pepper
Using your hands gently mix the ingredients all together. Use 1/8 cup as a scoop for the meatballs. You can use larger scoops for larger meatballs
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and give it a light spray of oil. Start scooping the meat. Lightly wet the palms of your hands and start rolling the meatballs. I find that wetting my hands a bit makes rolling easier
We actually made a perfect 30 meatballs out of this mixture. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow them to meld and solidify. You can also do these a day ahead. Preheat your oven to 350 F. You can also grill or pan fry these. Place in the oven and cook 18-20 minutes or until lightly brown and firm to the touch
For the sauce
In a saucepan add 1/3 cup of mirin, 1/3 cup of soy, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar and whisk together
Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cook 6-8 minutes or until slightly reduced and thickened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly
To the sauce add the juice and zest of 1 lime, 1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger and 1 thinly sliced serrano pepper. Mix to combine
Serve the meatballs covered in the sauce and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Garnish with more serrano peppers and slices of lime
Tools used to make this recipe
Architec Carving Board, Gripperwood
NuWave Flex Precision Induction Cooktop
Reynolds Kitchens Parchment Paper
Royal Classique 10 Piece Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons Set with Silicone Handles
Wilton Recipe Right Non-stick Cookie Sheet Set, 2-Piece
ZELITE INFINITY Chef Knife 8 inch
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