Meatballs with Tomato-Amazake Sauce
A little sugar is often added to many Japanese recipes to sweeten savory dishes; here, amazake’s fermented element imparts a gentle sweetness, while its thickness blends easily into the sauce. Lemon zest injects a refreshing accent. This tomato sauce is ideal served over vegetables for vegans.
Ingredients (Serves 3-4)
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1 can whole tomatoes, 400 g / 14 oz. (approx. 1 lb.)
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150 ml / 3/5 C genmai amazake*1
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2 thin lemon slices
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Lemon zest, 1/4 the amount from one lemon
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1 T Kikkoman Light Color Soy Sauce*2
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1 1/2 t butter
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1/2 onion chopped, 80 g / 2.7 oz.
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40-50 g / 1.4-1.7oz. slice of bread or baguette
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500 g / 18 oz. ground beef-pork mix*3
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Lemon zest, 1/2 - 3/4 the amount from one lemon
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4 t genmai amazake
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1 1/2 t Kikkoman Soy Sauce
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1/6 t salt
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1 egg
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-
Olive oil
- *1 C (U.S. cup) = approx. 240 ml; 1 T = 15 ml; 1 t = 5 ml
Directions
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1
Place the tomatoes with juice into a saucepan, along with amazake, lemon slices and zest, and light color soy sauce. Lightly mash together, then simmer over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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2
Remove lemon slices. Puree the sauce and set aside.
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3
Add the butter to a frying pan and sauté the chopped onion. Set aside.
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4
Soak bread in a bowl of water, drain and squeeze out moisture, then tear into small pieces.
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5
In a bowl, mix and knead well all the meatball ingredients, except for the egg. After kneading, add the egg and mix well.
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6
Form balls with a diameter of 4 cm / 1.5 in. each, weighing about 30 g / 1 oz. to make a total of 24-26 meatballs.
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7
Add a small amount of olive oil to a frying pan. On medium-low heat, cook the meatballs until they are nicely browned.
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8
Add meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 10 minutes over low heat. Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed.
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9
Serve the meatballs in a deep dish covered with the sauce.
- *1If genmai (brown rice) amazake is unavailable, substitute regular amazake.
- *2Kikkoman Soy Sauce may be substituted.
- *3Any ground meat may be used.
Recipe by Michiko Yamamoto
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