Secret Recipe: Izakaya Yuzuki's Tsukune

Secret Recipe: Izakaya Yuzuki's Tsukune

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7x7 asks the city's chefs for the recipes to their most loved cocktails, bar snacks, starters, mains, and desserts. If there's a dish you can't stop thinking about and want to make at home, email schuyler@7x7.com. Your wish may end up on the blog, along with the actual recipe from the chef.


On the menu since Izakaya Yuzuki’s opening almost two years ago, this skewered grilled chicken dish (a.k.a. yakitori) is a staple on any proper Japanese menu. But the addition of koji—a fermenting agent that brings out the umami of the ingredients—is what sets them apart.

Tsukune

Makes 10 skewers

1 pound ground chicken (dark meat)

2 tablespoons salt Koji (available in the refrigerated section of Japanese markets or from aedansf.com)

2 tablespoons lard

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon grated ginger

1 tablespoon sake

1 whole grated yellow onion, strained and squeezed to remove liquid

1 egg

20 shiso leaves

1 1/3 tablespoons potato starch

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1. Combine ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix until well blended. 

2. Form into balls or patties on small skewers.

3. Grill over a charcoal fire until cooked through.

4. Dip in the sauce (see recipe below) and serve.

 

Sauce

1 cup mirin

3/4 cup soy sauce 

2 tablespoons sugar

1. Combine ingredients in a small saucepan.

2. Gently heat until sugar is dissolved and ingredients are well blended.

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