Gluten Free Japanese Meatballs & Sriracha Dipping Sauce

One of my favorite meals to have in Japan was Yakitori and my favorite type of Yakitori is the Japanese meatballs or Tsukune. So many people think of Japanese restaurants as being all sushi restaurants. Sushi is not the only thing Japanese people eat. There is shabu shabu, udon, soba, yakiniku, tempura, japanese curry, okonomiyaki, and so much more. In many cities in the US it’s very difficult to find something besides a sushi place for Japanese food. Luckily in LA there are a lot of Japanese neighborhoods with lots of different styles of Japanese food. One of my favorite Yakitori places in LA is called Shin Sen Gumi . Unfortunately most of the Yakitori dishes I love are prepared with soy sauce which has wheat and I get sick from almost immediately even if I have a very small amount. I am so happy to have a great gluten free Tsukune recipe to make!

Serves 4

Tsukune Ingredients

1 lb ground chicken or ground turkey
1/2 cup Almond Flour
1 Large Egg
2 Tbsp finely chopped scallion whites
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Soy Glaze Ingredients
1/4 cup Tamari Gluten Free soy sauce
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp Honey
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 tsp Tapioca Flour or Corn Starch

Dipping Sauce Ingredients
Mayonnaise
Sriracha Sauce

Instructions:

1. Combine all of the Tsukune ingredients using a stand mixer.
2. Form meatballs with 2 TBSP of the mixture or about 1 inch in diameter and place on a plate. Place in fridge for approx 30 minutes.
3. Combine the soy glaze ingredients in a small pot over low heat until combined. Or, place in microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute and stir.
4. Heat BBQ to medium high leaving 1 of the burners off.
5. Place Tsukune on skewers. I prefer to use these short skewers or these Paddle Skewers with 2-3 meatballs per skewer because they are perfect for serving and much easier to handle on the BBQ.
6. Grill over direct heat 5-6 minutes per side until cooked all the way through. Turn only once to prevent meatballs from sticking to the grill if you turn them too soon.
7. Move skewers to unlit burner and brush with glaze. After 2 minutes turn and brush with glaze.
8. To make the sriracha dipping sauce, combine mayonnaise with sriracha. I usually use 3 parts mayonnaise to 1 part sriracha. Add more sriracha if you want it to be more spicy.

Enjoy!