Steps

1. Finely mince 30g of scallions. Make shallow cuts diagonally, then make similar cuts on the other side. Finally, chop them finely from the tip. [Tip!] Holding the knife with the first joint of your left index finger makes it easier to adjust and chop finely.
   🕒 00:20
2. Add the chopped scallions to a bowl.
   🕒 01:14
3. Trim the tough stems from the shiso leaves.
   🕒 01:23
4. Cut the shiso leaves into roughly four equal parts lengthwise, then roll them up and chop them coarsely.
   🕒 01:36
5. Add the chopped shiso leaves to the same bowl as the scallions. [Tip!] Adding shiso leaves imparts aroma and depth to the flavor.
   🕒 01:51
6. In a separate container, combine the sauce ingredients ([A]): 1 tbsp Soy Sauce, 1 tbsp Cooking Sake (Rice Wine), 1 tbsp Mirin (Sweet Rice Wine), and 1 tsp Sugar. Mix well.
   🕒 02:03
7. Prepare the seasonings for the tsukune mixture: 15g Panko Breadcrumbs and 10g Potato Starch.
   🕒 02:21
8. In another small bowl, add 1 tsp Miso Paste and 1 tbsp Mirin (Sweet Rice Wine), and dissolve the miso paste thoroughly. [Tip!] Thoroughly dissolving the miso paste prevents uneven seasoning.
   🕒 02:33
9. Add 10g grated ginger and one pinch of MSG (Umami Seasoning) (about 4-5 shakes) to the dissolved miso.
   🕒 02:56
10. Separate the egg yolk and egg white. Add the egg white to the bowl from [Step 9]. [Tip!] Adding egg white makes the tsukune fluffy and juicy. You can easily separate them by holding the yolk and letting the white drip through your fingers.
    🕒 03:06
11. Once the egg white is added, mix everything thoroughly.
    🕒 03:39
12. Lightly oil a frying pan.
    🕒 03:56
13. In a separate small bowl, put a small amount of oil to coat your hands.
    🕒 04:06
14. In a larger bowl, add 2 pinches of Salt and 300g Ground Chicken.
    🕒 04:16
15. Mix the ground chicken and salt thoroughly until a sticky paste forms. [Tip!] Mixing with salt first develops stickiness, which locks in moisture and keeps the tsukune juicy.
    🕒 04:40
16. Once sticky, add the seasonings (excluding the sauce ingredients): Panko Breadcrumbs, Potato Starch, the miso, ginger, MSG, and egg white mixture prepared in [Step 11], and the scallions and shiso leaves from [Step 5] to the bowl with the ground chicken.
    🕒 04:56
17. Mix thoroughly to ensure the seasoning is evenly distributed.
    🕒 05:14
18. Spread some oil on your hands using the oil from the small bowl. Take a portion of the tsukune mixture, about a comfortable size, and form it into a ball by patting it like a hamburger patty. [Tip!] You don't need to remove air from the tsukune; simply forming it into a ball is sufficient. Ensure they are all the same size for even cooking.
    🕒 05:28
19. Place the formed tsukune patties in the oiled frying pan and cook over low to medium-low heat.
    🕒 06:18
20. Once the pan is heated and you hear a gentle sizzle, cover with a lid and steam for 4 minutes.
    🕒 06:30
21. After 4 minutes, remove the lid and flip all the tsukune over. [Tip!] Tsukune tastes better with a nice sear, so aim for a good browning on both sides.
    🕒 06:44
22. Once all have been flipped, cover again and cook thoroughly for another 4 minutes on the other side. [Tip!] Ensure the chicken is cooked through completely.
    🕒 06:57
23. After 4 minutes, remove the lid, turn off the heat, and transfer the tsukune to a plate or tray.
    🕒 07:11
24. Wipe out the excess oil from the frying pan with a paper towel.
    🕒 07:27
25. Add the sauce prepared in [Step 6] to the frying pan and heat over low heat.
    🕒 07:44
26. Return the tsukune to the frying pan and let the sauce thicken while coating the tsukune.
    🕒 07:49
27. Tilt the pan to gather the sauce to one side, and use the edge of the pan to coat the tsukune evenly.
    🕒 08:04
28. Once the sauce has thickened, turn off the heat.
    🕒 08:14
29. After turning off the heat, slowly toss to coat everything evenly with the sauce. Your tsukune is ready!
    🕒 08:18