Chicken Tsukune Noodle Soup

Bowl made by Heath Ceramics.

Was reminiscing about the yakitori from Memory Lane (aka Piss Alley) in Tokyo, and one of my favorites is the simple Chicken Tsukune (meatball). Tonight, since it was cold outside, we paired these babies with a hearty noodle soup, but the tsukune was definitely the star of the show. Grill them if you can, but I cooked these in the oven under the broiler.

Ingredients (basting sauce):

• 1/4 cup soy sauce

• 1/4 cup mirin

• 1/4 cup white wine

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar

• 2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed

• 2 teaspoons of grated ginger

• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns

Steps (basting sauce):

1. Combine soy sauce, mirin, sherry, brown sugar, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and peppercorns in a medium saucepan.

2. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Reduce until the sauce is thick as a syrup.

3. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain through into a container until ready to use.

Ingredients (tsukune):

• 1 pound ground chicken or turkey (dark meat is the best)

• 1/2 cup plain panko bread crumbs

• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

• 2 medium scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped

• 1 large egg

• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

• 3 garlic cloves, grated

• 2 teaspoons sesame oil

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Steps:

1. In a large bowl add all the ingredients except for the meat. Thoroughly combine all these first before adding the meat,

2. Add the meat and combine well with the mix using a fork. I find that using a fork instead of my hands doesn’t overwork the meat. Overmixing results in tough meatballs, and that ain’t cool.

3. Let the mixture rest in the refrigerator for 15 - 30 minutes, and preheat the oven to broil and place the rack 5 inches from the top.

4. Using a 1/4 cup measure, make oval-shaped meatballs, place 3 per metal skewer (or pre-soaked bamboo skewers), and place on a pre-greased baking sheet.

5. Broiler for 2 minutes, flip and baste with the sauce. Broil for 2 more minutes, flip, and baste. Repeat 2 more times (total of 8 minutes in the oven).

Ingredients (soup):

• 1/2 pound of ready-cooked egg noodles (get the thin version from the Asian market)

• 2 quarts chicken stock

• 1/4 cup miso paste

• 3 tablespoons of soy sauce

• 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt

• Cooked gyoza (use your favorite from the freezer — you know you have them!)

• 3 soft boiled eggs (eggs in cold water, bring to a boil, set a timer for 4 minutes, chill, and peel; I overcooked mine by a minute 😩)

• Pre-blanched bok choy (blanch in the water you cooked the eggs for 1 minute, chill, and set aside)

• Tsukune

• Furikaki (for garnish)

Steps (soup):

1. In a pot, heat up the chicken stock, miso paste, soy sauce, and salt, and bring to a simmer.

2. Add the egg noodles to warm through and absorb the flavor (2 - 3 minutes)

3. In a big bowl, plate the noodles, soup, and top with gyoza, eggs, bok choy, and the tsukune. Garnish with furikake if you have it.

4. Eat the soup by the fire. Slurping required.