I am going to share my recipe for irresistibly plump and juicy meatballs coated with finger-licking delicious homemade Teriyaki sauce! This is a super easy Teriyaki Meatballs recipe that we often have for dinner. Teriyaki meatballs are also great for packing into Obento box because it ticks all 5 Golden Rules of Obento.
Teriyaki Meatballs ingredients
Homemade Teriyaki sauce goes with almost everything. So you need ground meat of beef, pork or chicken or even fish. Then you need finely chopped onion, grated ginger, egg, panko breadcrumbs and Katakuriko (potato starch).
How to make Teriyaki sauce?
I have never bought a bottled teriyaki sauce from the shops. Teriyaki sauce is the easiest sauce to make. You only need soy sauce, sugar, sake and mirin. Unlike store bought sauce, no additives or preservatives are added. I have written a post dedicated to Teriyaki sauce. If you are interested, read my Teriyaki Sauce post.
What is that fancy white garnish?
It is the bottom white part of scallions thinly sliced. We call this “Shiraga Negi”. The garnish is named after it’s looks. It looks like grey hair and grey hair is Shiraga in Japanese. Shiraga Negi often garnishes meatballs and Gyoza. You need to cut about 5cm (approximately 2 inches) off at the bottom of scallions. Score 2-3 outer layers, flat out and slice thinly.
How to shape meatballs into neat and even sized balls?
Combine all meatball ingredients in a bowl. Then you take a handful of meat in one hand and squeeze the meat out between your thumb and index finger. Check the photo below. Then with a spoon in the other hand, scrape the meatball off as the photo shows. I show this process in the video also. Repeat for the rest of the meat. It requires a little bit of practice but once you used to the process, you can shape evenly rounded meatballs every time.
Make in advance and freeze your teriyaki meatballs
It does not take a long time to make Teriyaki Meatballs from scratch and certainly, you can make and freeze them. That is what I do when I have a lot of ground meat. Make meatballs and cook them then freeze. I will pack the cooled down meatballs in a ziplock freezer bag. In one bag I would put the amount you would use for one meal. It will store in the freezer for about a month. Make the teriyaki sauce fresh and reheat the meatballs in the cooking teriyaki sauce.
A healthy alternative way to cook meatballs
I cooked the meatballs by deep frying them. Because it keeps the round shape and creates a crunchy texture. However, if you worry about too much oil intake, you can boil them instead.
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Teriyaki meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 250 g Ground Beef Or any variety you prefer
- 1/2 Onion Finely chopped
- 1/2 Carrot Finely chopped
- 1/2 cup Breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Grated Fresh Ginger
- 1/2 Egg
- 1 tbsp sake
- 1 tbsp potato starch
- pinch of Salt and Pepper
- 15 ml Oil for deep fry *1
- 5 cm white part of scallions Or 2 inch
- 1 tsp white sesame seeds to garnish
For the Teriyaki Sauce:
- ２ tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Sake
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 2 tbsp Mirin
- 2 tbsp Water
Instructions
- Score the white part of the scallion. Flaten it out and slice it thinly. Set it aside in cold water.
- Combine ground beef, onion, carrot, bread crumbs, soy sauce, ginger, egg, sake, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix well.
- Grab a small chunk of the mixture in one hand and squeeze the meat out and scoop with a spoon in the other hand.
- Repeat same for rest of the ground meat mixture.
- Heat oil in a pan to 170°C ( 338°F) and add the meatballs to deep fry.
- When the meatballs become golden brown outside, remove from the deep frying oil.
- Prepare the teriyaki sauce by mixing together soy sauce, sake, sugar, mirin, and water and heat in a small pan until it becomes a slightly thick consistency.
- Add the deep fried meatballs into the teriyaki sauce to coat with the sauce.
- Turn the heat off and serve into a shallow bowl.
- Drain the water off the thinly sliced scallion. Sprinkle sesame seeds over and top meatballs with sliced scallion.
Excellent recipe!! Thank you!
Hi Silvia, Thank you for 5 star rating 😀
I like these meatballs, very delicious and easy to make! My boyfriend likes them, too!
Thank you so much Tanja.
Hi
What is the best way to cook the meatballs by boiling?
Do we just immerse the meatballs in a pot of plain boiling water till cooked?
Thanks
Hi B, yes. Let me know how you went with that method.:D
Hi! Sometimes I put m<y meatballs in the oven. 180 degrees Celsius, around 20-25 minutes. Maybe it is another option for you?