Mid Week - Chicken Tsukune

Tsukune are Japanese-style meatballs which are tender and juicy and basted in a salty, slightly sweet sticky sauce. We've made ours using organic chicken mince, flavoured with spring onion, ginger and sesame oil. They'll be a winner with the entire fam and are perfect for eating when you're after something tasty but light. 

Ingredients:

Meatballs

• 500g Chicken mince
• 2 spring onions, sliced thinly
• 1cm ginger, minced with microplane
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp red miso paste
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 1 egg 
• Neutral oil for frying
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine or sake
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 3 tbsp water
• Toasted sesame seeds to serve
• Baby cos to serve
• White rice to serve

 Method:

1. Combine chicken mince, spring onions, ginger, garlic, white pepper, sesame oil, salt, miso paste, corn flour and egg in a bowl and mix well.
2. Wet hands and shape into golf sized balls.
3. In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, sugar, mirin, Chinese cooking wine, cornflour and water together.
4. Heat neutral flavoured oil in a fry pan on medium heat. Pour it until it reaches about 1cm up the side of the pan.
5. Once hot, add in the meatballs and fry until golden on all sides, around 5 minutes. Do this in batches, so you don't overcrowd the pan.
6. Drain them on a plate with paper towel to absorb excess oil.
7. Wipe the pan clean and add in the sauce, cooking until slightly thickened.
8. Add the meatballs back into the pan to coat.
9. To serve, place a heaped spoon of rice into a cup of lettuce, top with meatballs, spring onion and toasted sesame seeds.