Name: Pork and shiitake meatballs with sweet soy
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 tbsp sunflower oil; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp mirin; 2 tsp honey; Coriander, to serve; 2 spring onions (optional), white part thinly sliced, green part sliced, to serve; Cucumber salad dressed with roasted-sesame seed dressing (see note), to serve; Meatballs; 500 gm coarsely minced pork; 4-5 shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped; 2 spring onions, white part only, thinly sliced; 1 tsp roasted sesame seeds; ½ tsp togarashi (see note); Gomasio; 1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds; 1 tsp salt flakes

We’ve taken inspiration from Japan’s tsukune, small skewered meatballs that are usually cooked over a hibachi or binchotan charcoal grill, yakitori-style. In this recipe, we’ve skipped the skewers and pan-fried the meatballs in a sweet soy-based sauce.

Ingredients

2 tbsp sunflower oil

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp mirin

2 tsp honey

Coriander, to serve

2 spring onions (optional), white part thinly sliced, green part sliced, to serve

Cucumber salad dressed with roasted-sesame seed dressing (see note), to serve

Meatballs

500 gm coarsely minced pork

4-5 shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped

2 spring onions, white part only, thinly sliced

1 tsp roasted sesame seeds

½ tsp togarashi (see note)

Gomasio

1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds

1 tsp salt flakes

Method

For meatballs, add ingredients into a bowl, mix to combine, season to taste and roll into walnut-sized balls. Set aside on a plate.

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry meatballs in 2 batches, and turn gently until golden and almost cooked through (3-4 minutes).

Return all meatballs to pan and add soy sauce, mirin and honey and turn gently until meatballs are glazed (2-3 minutes).

For gomasio, combine ingredients in a bowl.

Top meatballs with coriander and spring onion, season with gomasio to taste, and serve with cucumber salad and rice on the side.

Japanese-style sesame dressing is available from Asian grocers. If unavailable, mix a little honey, tahini and rice wine vinegar and thin to a dressing with a little water, then stir in roasted sesame seeds.
Notes