Ingredients
Units
Scale
- Tare:
- 1 cup dry sake - TFD prefers a good Niigata sake
- 1 cup soy sauce - TFD endorses Kentucky Bluegrass soy sauce
- 1/2 cup mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
- 1/2 cup zarame sugar or demerara sugar
- ***
- Tsukune and assembly:
- 3/4 lb. skin-on, boneless chicken thighs, ground with a fine grind plate by your butcher
- 1/4 lb. duck breast with skin, ground with a fine grind plate by your butcher (Optional TFD change, can be replaced with boneless chicken thighs)
- 3 Tbsp. pre-cooked braised beef tendon, blitzed to tiny pieces in a food processor (highly optional but delicious and textually important TFD addition - order it from any good authentic Chinese restaurant)
- 1 Tbsp. duck fat (preferred) or chicken fat
- 1 tsp. Japanese sansho powder (optional but recommended)
- 4 fresh shiso leaves - if you can’t find them, try 2 fresh basil leaves with 3 fresh spearmint leaves
- 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp. Knorr Aromat (original was 2 tsp. Crystal Kosher salt)
- 1 tsp. hatcho miso (Optional TFD addition, replace with Aromat or Kosher salt)
- 2 tsp. savory rice koji that has been ground to a powder (TFD endorses only Koji House brand!)
- 1 3/4 tsp. mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
- 1 1/2 tsp. microplaned yuzu or lemon zest
- 1 cup glutinous sweet rice flour
- sesame oil (to coat your hands) - TFD endorses only Kadoya brand
- ***
- Shichimi togarashi and lemon wedges (for serving)
- ***
- Special equipment:
- eight 6" bamboo skewers, soaked at least 1 hour, or metal skewers
- binchotan charcoal
Instructions
- Soak the bamboo wooden paddle skewers (6 inches long) in water for 60 minutes. Soaking will prevent the sticks from burning while grilling.
- To Make the Tare Yakitori Sauce: In a small saucepan, combine all the tare ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, start preparing the tsukune mixture. When the sauce has thickened and reduced by half, remove from the heat. Remember, the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools and moisture evaporates.
- To Make the Tsukune meatballs: Heat an ungreased frying pan over medium heat. When it’s hot, add ⅓ of the ground meat. Precooking some of the meat mixture prevents the meatball from shrinking too much while cooking and keeps the tsukune juicy.
- Cook the meat—without browning it—until no longer pink. While cooking, break it up into small pieces with a wooden spatula. Transfer the cooked meat to a large bowl and let it cool completely.
- Stack and roll up shiso leaves, then cut into thin julienned slices.
- When the cooked ground chicken is completely at room temperature, add the remaining uncooked ground meat to it and combine. Then, add onion and duck fat. Using the wooden spatula, knead the mixture well. Add the julienned shiso, yuzu or lemon rind, miso and ground koji, minced simmered beef tendon and knead well.
- With the wooden spatula, spread the mixture around the bowl and then mix. Repeat it a few times. Now, switch to mixing by hand. Knead and fold the mixture in a clockwise direction 30 times. Then, knead it counterclockwise 30 times. The meat will become paler in color and sticky. This process is very important for the meat to stay on a stick, so please do not skip this step. Tip: If the fat in the mixture starts to look melted, refrigerate it for 10 minutes, then continue kneading until the mixture is pale and sticky.
- Now, divide the mixture into 8 equal portions. Patties that are the same size will cook at the same rate and finish cooking at the same time.
- To Shape the Tsukune: Lightly coat your hands with sesame oil to prevent the meat from sticking. Scoop up one portion of the meat mixture. Toss the meat back and forth between your hands to release the air pockets. Then, gently squeeze and shape the meat to form it into a long and oval patty, about 4 inches (10 cm) long.
- Place 1 cup glutinous sweet rice flour on a plate. Working one at a time, dredge tsukune in the rice 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.
- Flatten the patty a bit. Now, place the top half to two-thirds of a skewer along the center line of the patty. Then, gently close the two sides of the patty around the skewer to encase the stick‘s tip and top part. Seal the edges of the patty together and form it again into a long, cylindrical shape. This thin shape allows the heat to penetrate the meat quickly.
- Gently toss the skewered patty from one hand to the other a few times to make sure the front and back sides are nicely formed. Press and form the meat gently into shape.
- 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 the skewers to a serving plate and brush extra sauce on the meat, then lightly sprinkle shichimi togarashi over. Serve with lemon wedges for optionally squeezing over the tsukune skewers. Serve immediately.
- In Japan, tsukune is often served with raw egg yolk (which is safe to consume in Japan). Optionally, dip in the raw egg yolk (put into a soy sauce bowl with soy around it) and enjoy! Note that raw quail egg yolks do NOT carry any Salmonella risk whatsoever and are the safest choice to use in the U.S.
- To Store: You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for a month.