Yakitori Chicken Meatballs

Chicken Meatballs

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1 scallion, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons Mirin
• 1 teaspoon plus 3 tablespoons Teriyaki sauce
• 1 1/2 cup breadcrumbs from day-old bread, not too finely ground
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil

1. Combine the chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, scallion, garlic, half the ginger, and teaspoons of mirin and teriyaki sauce in a large bowl. Roll into tablespoon-sized balls and saute in the sesame oil until they brown on all sides. Remove to a baking dish.
2. Add the remaining ginger, mirin, teriyaki, vinegar, and fish sauce to the pan and cook together 1 minute to deglaze the pan. Pour over the meatballs and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.
3. You can serve them on skewers or on top of Sesame Noodles, below.

Sesame Noodles

• 1 package soba or whole wheat spaghetti
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 scallion, minced with extra for garnish
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 4 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon Mirin
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Teriyaki sauce
• 1/4 cup sake
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds for garnish

1. Cook the soba or pasta according to package instructions in salted water.
2. Meanwhile, saute the shallot, garlic, and scallion in half the sesame oil until softened. Add the peanut butter, fish sauce, mirin, vinegar, Teriyaki sauce, and sake. Stir to combine and let cook with about 1/2 cup of pasta water for 5 minutes.
3. Off the heat, add the pasta along with the rest of the sesame oil and the lemon juice. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with sesame seeds and scallions.