Chicken Meatballs with Sweet and Sour Sauce

Ingredients 

• 1 lb ground chicken (or use ground beef, pork, or turkey; each type of meat yields a different texture, and we like ground chicken and pork)
• 1/2 onion (4 oz, 113 g)
• 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell)
• 3 Tbsp panko
• 1 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp sake
• 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• water (for steaming)

Sweet and Sour Sauce

• 6 Tbsp ketchup
• 4 Tbsp mirin 
• 4 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp sake 
• 1 tsp potato starch or cornstarch

Instructions 

1. Gather all the ingredients.

To Make the Sauce

1. In a measuring cup or small bowl, combine 6 Tbsp ketchup, 4 Tbsp mirin, 4 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned), 2 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp sake, and 1 tsp potato starch or cornstarch and whisk well.

To Make the Meatballs

1. Mince 1/2 onion into fine pieces.
2. In a bowl, combine 1 lb ground chicken, the minced onion, 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell), 3 Tbsp panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), 1 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch, 1 Tbsp sake, 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper. Knead the mixture well with your hand until the mixture is pale in color and very sticky.
3. Apply a small amount of cooking oil to your hands and make a ping-pong ball size shape with the mixture. If you have a cookie scooper, it helps to make equal-size balls.
4. Once you make a ball, place it on a tray or plate lined with a sheet of parchment paper. Once you finish shaping, cover the tray/plate with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 15 minutes so the melted fat on the meatballs will solidify.
5. Put ½ inch (roughly 1 cm) water in a large frying pan and bring it to boil. Carefully place the meatballs in the water.
6. Cover and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the lid and let the water evaporate while you continue cooking the meatballs on medium high heat, turning the meatballs once in a while.
7. As the water evaporates, the meatballs will turn brown. If the frying pan gets a burnt spot, wipe off with a paper towel.
8. Add the sweet and sour sauce and coat the meatballs well with the sauce. Turn off the heat and serve.