Summary
In general term, Tsukune means "kneaded with hand". A number of thickener are added to ground material such as beef, pork or fowl meat, and rarely fish meat. The mixture is kneaded or ground, and is molded into dumpling or meat stick.It also refers to fish meatball, which is added to hot soup and called Tsumire-jiru (つみれ汁), or fish ball soup. Tsukune is also enjoyed as Tsukune Nabe, a Japanese steamboat dish with numerous local varieties found in regions in Japan.
Traditionally. a fish fillet was ground using Suribachi (すり鉢（すりばち or 擂鉢) ) grinding-bowl in Japan, but blenders are used in most homes recently.
Preparation
Thickeners such as chicken egg, crushed yam or bread crumb, as well as seasonings including ground ginger root, salt or soy sauce are added after meat is mashed or minced finely. The mixture is shaped into dumplings and/or meat sticks.To taste, finely chopped garden vegetables are mixed into the minced meat. Vegetables and herbs such as leek Negi (ねぎ), beefsteak plant Aojiso (青紫蘇) also called Oba (大葉), and at times, chopped cartilage of fowl tori nankotsu (鶏軟骨) may be added for crunchy taste.
Commonly, Tsukune is found in Oden (おでん or 田楽(でんがく)), a Japanese stew consisting of several ingredients in a light dashi (出汁（だし）) broth. There are regional varieties to both Oden and Tsumire-jiru.
Tsukune is not always prepared from farm animal meat only. Similarly, Tsumire (つみれ) is not all the time cocked with fish meat either. Tsukune is matched with Tsumire, and they may be called generally as gan (丸（がん）) meaning minced meat in round shape.
Variety
- boil: Nabe (鍋物), or a dish cooked at the table.
- broil: Yakimono (焼き物), broiled or char-broiled dishes, including barbecued meatball.
- fry: Agemono (揚げ物) or deep-fry.
- stew: Tsuyumono (汁物（つゆもの） or 団子汁（だんごじる）), or stewed with vegitable and herbs.
Chicken meatball with enokidake mushroom (Photo by Katsumi Oyama)
JAPANESE HOME COOKING: Chicken meatball with 'enokidake' mushroom
Chicken meatball (“tsukune”) covered in sweet soy
sauce is a favorite among young and old. But it can turn hard and dry
when it cools.
Here, Yoko Munakata of the Better Home Association introduces tsukune that will stay moist and soft. The key is the ingredient to hold the mixture together–in this case grated potato–and the way you knead the mixture.
“The salt will make the meat stickier,” Munakata says.
First mix as if grabbing with your fingers, then mix about 20 times in a quick circular motion. Serves four.
INGREDIENTS
300 grams ground chicken leg
1 bag (100 grams) enokidake mushroom
Piece of ginger (half the size of thumb)
1 medium-sized (100 gram) potato
Seasoning A (1/3 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp sake)
Seasoning B (1/2 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp each of soy sauce, sake and sweet mirin sake)
METHOD
Cut off root part of enokidake, then cut into length of 1 cm. Grate ginger without peeling. (Scrape off dirt with spoon if necessary.) Peel potato and grate with same grater so remaining ginger fiber can be used in full.
Mix meat and Seasoning A in bowl. Add ginger and potato with their juice. Knead until sticky and a mass is formed. Add enokidake.
Divide in 12 equal parts and form ovals that are 4-5 cm in diameter. Mixture is easier to handle with wet hands. Make dent in center to prevent tsukune from puffing up while cooking. Mix Seasoning B.
Heat 1 tsp cooking oil in frying pan, place six tsukune and cook for two minutes over medium heat until brown. Turn sides, put a lid on and cook for two-three more minutes and remove. They are done if clear juice flows out when poked with skewer. Add 1 tsp oil and cook remaining six.
Wipe oil in pan with paper towel. Return all tsukune, add Seasoning B. Cook for about two minutes over medium heat so sauce thickens and coats tsukune to give them a glaze.
***
From the vernacular Asahi Shimbun's Kashikoi Okazu column
Here, Yoko Munakata of the Better Home Association introduces tsukune that will stay moist and soft. The key is the ingredient to hold the mixture together–in this case grated potato–and the way you knead the mixture.
“The salt will make the meat stickier,” Munakata says.
First mix as if grabbing with your fingers, then mix about 20 times in a quick circular motion. Serves four.
INGREDIENTS
300 grams ground chicken leg
1 bag (100 grams) enokidake mushroom
Piece of ginger (half the size of thumb)
1 medium-sized (100 gram) potato
Seasoning A (1/3 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp sake)
Seasoning B (1/2 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp each of soy sauce, sake and sweet mirin sake)
METHOD
Cut off root part of enokidake, then cut into length of 1 cm. Grate ginger without peeling. (Scrape off dirt with spoon if necessary.) Peel potato and grate with same grater so remaining ginger fiber can be used in full.
Mix meat and Seasoning A in bowl. Add ginger and potato with their juice. Knead until sticky and a mass is formed. Add enokidake.
Divide in 12 equal parts and form ovals that are 4-5 cm in diameter. Mixture is easier to handle with wet hands. Make dent in center to prevent tsukune from puffing up while cooking. Mix Seasoning B.
Heat 1 tsp cooking oil in frying pan, place six tsukune and cook for two minutes over medium heat until brown. Turn sides, put a lid on and cook for two-three more minutes and remove. They are done if clear juice flows out when poked with skewer. Add 1 tsp oil and cook remaining six.
Wipe oil in pan with paper towel. Return all tsukune, add Seasoning B. Cook for about two minutes over medium heat so sauce thickens and coats tsukune to give them a glaze.
***
From the vernacular Asahi Shimbun's Kashikoi Okazu column
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