Tsukune with Mitarashi Sauce

Tori tsukune no mitarashi

Difficulty

Ingredients (Serves 5 skewers): tsukune (chicken meatballs):
150 g ground chicken
150 g hanpen fish paste cakes
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 1/2 tbsp mirin
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp potato starch

1 piece kombu kelp, 3 cm square

mitarashi sauce:
80 ml dashi stock
1 1/2 tbsp sake
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp potato starch
1 tbsp water

a pinch of powdered sansho pepper, for garnish

Directions

1. Place the ground chicken, finely torn-up hanpen, and salt into a bowl and mix well. Add the mayonnaise and mirin and mix well, then add the potato starch and mix until the mixture becomes sticky enough to form balls.

2. Put the water and kombu kelp in a pot and bring to a boil. When it boils, reduce heat to medium-low, then use a spoon to add the chicken mixture to the pot. Use a ladle or other tool to roll the tsukune meatballs as they boil for 5–6 minutes to cook through. Once they've cooked through, drain the tsukune meatballs.

3. Put the mitarashi sauce ingredients into a pot and heat. When it boils, add the potato starch (dissolved in water) and mix in to thicken.

4. Add the tsukune meatballs to the sauce, and mix to coat.

5. Put the sauce-coated tsukune meatballs on skewers, arrange on a plate to serve, and sprinkle on powdered sansho as a garnish.