TSUKUNE! How Japanese Cook Tasty Chicken Meatballs, Tsukune( Yakitori-style). Step by step guide.

Hi everyone, it's Kunihiro. Thank you for coming back to my kitchen. Today I'm going to show you how to make delicious chicken meatballs with a homemade yakitori sauce. This dish is called tsukune in Japanese and it's a very popular item at the yakitori restaurants. It's comforting and satisfying, perfect for a cozy meal. So let's get started. First, let's take a look at the So here I have 300 grams of ground chicken thigh, half of a medium-sized onion, 15 grams of panko bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon of potato starch, 1 teaspoon of white miso, 1 tablespoon of mirin, 2 pinches of salt, 1 large egg, and 10 grams of fresh ginger. And for the sauce, I'll prepare yakitori sauce today with 2 tablespoons each of soy sauce, sake, and mirin. Also, since just the meatballs might feel a bit lonely, I'd like to pan sear this Japanese leek and serve it as a side. Leeks pair really well with the yakitori sauce. All right, let's start by cutting the vegetables. We'll begin with the onion. First, please make slits against the grain, like this. Don't cut all the way through. Make sure to leave one end connected. Then, turn the onion 90 degrees so that the side with the slits is on the right. Now, cut it thinly perpendicular to the slits this time. And when you get close to the end, lay the onion on its side, make slits, turn it, and cut against the slits again, and cut the end piece. Finally, use the rocking motion to chop the diced pieces a little finer. Once done, transfer the chopped onion to a bowl, and your chopped onion is done. Next is the Japanese leek. So, please wash it first, and cut off the root end. Then, separate the white part from the green part. Then, we'll cut the white part into bite-sized pieces. To keep the pieces similar in size, first cut the leek in half across the middle, and put the pieces together. Next, cut them in half, and then cut those halves in half again. Then, you'll have eight equal-sized pieces. And for the green part of the leek, please cut it into bite-sized pieces as well. This part is a little tougher than the white part, but it becomes very tender and sweet once cooked, so please don't throw it away. Once you've finished cutting all the leek, please transfer the pieces to a tray. Then, the leek is done. Next, let's prepare the meatball mixture. The first thing we do is add two pinches of salt to the ground meat, and knead it thoroughly. The salt here not only seasons the ground meat, but also helps bind the ground meat together, so that your meatballs won't break easily and retain juices inside while being cooked. But remember, you won't achieve the same result if you mix all the ingredients at once, so please knead the ground meat only with the salt at the beginning. And when your ground meat reaches a sticky texture like this, it's ready, and you can move on to the next step. Next, please grate the ginger over it. Ginger adds a gentle warmth with a hint of spiciness. Then, add the chopped onion you prepared earlier. It will add a slight crunch and the natural sweetness of the onion. Add the panko breadcrumbs. They give a certain fluffiness to your meatballs. Then, add the potato starch. Potato starch acts as a binding agent and helps to retain the juices inside the meatballs, keeping them moist and tender. Next, break an egg into a small bowl and beat it until well combined. Beating the egg in advance ensures it blends evenly with the ground meat and the other ingredients. Once you are done beating the egg, go ahead and add it to the bowl. The egg plays a crucial role in making your meatballs wonderfully moist. Finally, add one tablespoon of mirin to a teaspoon of white miso and mix until the miso dissolves completely. Just like with the egg, by smoothing out the miso in advance, it will blend evenly with all the ingredients. As the miso browns, it will release a wonderful aroma and add a savory saltiness, while the mirin contributes a mild sweetness, creating a balanced flavor in your meatballs. And once done mixing, please add it to the bowl. Now all the ingredients are in, so please mix them together. And once everything is well combined, your mixture will become sticky like this again. This is a sign it's ready. Okay, now that the meatball mixture is ready, let's shape the meatballs. But before that, please get a large frying pan, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil, and spread it evenly. Since I want to start cooking all the meatballs at the same time, I'll first arrange the shaped meatballs in the cold frying pan. So please get a small cup, pour a little vegetable oil into it, dip your fingertips in it, and rub it over the palms by applying oil to your hands. The meat won't stick as much when shaping the meatballs. Now take a small amount of the meat mixture and gently form it into a ball, tossing it one hand to the other like this. Once shaped, place the meatball in the frying pan. Please shape the rest of the meatball mixture in the same way and arrange the meatballs neatly in the frying pan. Once you've finished shaping and arranging your meatballs, move the frying pan onto the stove and turn on the heat to medium-low. And we'll cook one side for five minutes until it turns golden brown. Please cook them slowly over relatively low heat, otherwise they'll burn quickly while the inside remains uncooked. In those five minutes, you don't need to touch the meatballs. All you need to do is turn the frying pan a few times to help them cook evenly. And after five minutes, please turn them over. At this point, some pieces might not be browned much, but go ahead and flip them over. After flipping, you can move those less browned pieces to the center of the pan, so all the pieces will cook evenly. Now please add two tablespoons of water to the pan. Cover with a lid and steam the meatballs for three minutes. By steaming, you ensure that the meatballs cook all the way through while keeping them moist. This method allows the inside to become tender without drying out or overcooking the outside. After three minutes, take the meatballs out of the pan and set them aside. We'll be finishing them in the sauce later, so you don't need to check for doneness at this point. They'll definitely be fully cooked by the end. Next, please wipe off the water with paper towels and add the leek to the pan. And cook until they develop a beautiful sear on both sides and become tender, which takes about three to four minutes. Please turn them every now and then, checking their doneness as they cook. If you feel like you need a bit more oil, feel free to add some. After about three minutes, when they get a nice sear and become tender, take the pieces out to a tray, starting with the ones that are ready. Once you've removed all the leek from the pan, turn off the heat. Now we are going to make the sauce in the same frying pan, so use paper towels to wipe off any excess oil, as too much oil can thin out the sauce. Just be sure to leave the dark bits behind. These flavorful spots will add depth and richness to the sauce. Okay, this much is good. Now, please add two tablespoons of soy sauce. Soy sauce will add a deep savory flavor and a slight saltiness to the sauce. Then, add two tablespoons of sake, which will give depth to the sauce and enhance its overall taste. Finally, add two tablespoons of mirin. This sweet rice wine balances the flavors with its mild sweetness, making the sauce even more delicious. Combined, these ingredients create an authentic yakitori sauce that is rich, sweet, and slightly salty. Now, turn the heat back on to medium-low, and please stir it with a spatula or turner. When you do this, make sure to scrape up any flavorful bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. These will blend into the sauce, deepening its flavor. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens a little. As it thickens, the flavor becomes richer and the color deepens, making it more appetizing. Now that the sauce has thickened a little and deepened in color, return the meatballs and leek to the pan. From here, turn them over constantly, coating them evenly with the sauce until they develop beautiful glades. At this stage, we don't want the sauce to evaporate before they get the glades, so if it starts boiling vigorously, please lower the heat a little. Once the meatballs and leek have developed the beautiful glades and the sauce in the pan is almost gone, they are ready. So, turn off the heat and arrange them beautifully on a serving plate. Please arrange the meatballs three-dimensionally while leaving one side of the plate open. Then, neatly place the leek in the open space. Finally, drizzle the remaining sauce over them. And here you have it. Your delicious chicken meatballs are done. Beautifully cooked meatballs, infused with the warmth of ginger and the savory depth of miso, paired with tender leek, all coated in a rich, sweet, and savory yakitori sauce. This perfect balance of flavors makes every bite truly irresistible. Please enjoy. All right, that's it for today. If you enjoyed today's video, please hit the like button and leave me a comment. I hope this dish brings comfort and satisfaction with every bite. Have fun in the kitchen and I'll see you soon in my next video. Bye-bye.