Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you go
Makes 35 meatballs
- 500 g (1.1 lb) ground chicken (or turkey)
- 3 Tbsp breadcrumbs (panko)
- 1 egg
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely minced
- 2 scallions (spring onions), finely sliced
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
For the yakitori-style sauce (enough for appetizers, see the end of the article)
- 5 Tbsp (75 ml) soy sauce
- 4 Tbsp (60 ml) mirin
- 4 Tbsp water (or sake)
- 1 Tbsp light brown sugar (or honey)
- 1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely minced (optional)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (optional)
- 2 scallions, sliced, to serve
- In a large bowl, mix the ground chicken with the breadcrumbs, scallions, egg, ginger, sesame oil, garlic and soy sauce. Let it rest in the fridge for at least half an hour, then shape into walnut-sized meatballs.
- Meanwhile, combine all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. The sauce will turn thick and glossy as it cools.
- Heat a little sunflower oil in a skillet and brown the meatballs on each side (3-4 minutes per side), then pour in the sauce and toss to glaze (coat) the meatballs.
- Garnish with the sliced scallions and serve with plain rice.
Tips
- The sauce quantities given are enough to coat the meatballs and serve them as an appetizer without sauce dripping everywhere. If you want to serve them as a main course with extra sauce left over for your rice, double the quantities.
- For a smooth, even mixture, I blitz the scallions, ginger and garlic in a mini food processor before adding them to the meat. They come out much finer than when minced with a knife.
- This sauce is a cross between teriyaki and yakitori sauces. For a classic yakitori sauce, leave out the ginger and garlic (which belong to teriyaki sauce). For an even thicker sauce, add 1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in just a splash of water to avoid lumps.
If you love Japanese meatballs, you should adore the beef version.