Meatballs and Broccoli in Teriyaki Sauce

Beef, garlic and ginger meatballs, served with broccoli and black mushrooms in a simple homemade teriyaki sauce. A weeknight recipe, relatively fast to prepare. Serve with rice.

I think most commercial teriyaki sauces taste plain bad. Too sweet, very salty, not much flavor. Instead, it's really easy to make your own sauce with mirin, sake, a bit of dark soy sauce and sugar.

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1 lb / 500 g beef chuck roast, cut into large cubes
• ½ onion, coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ⅛ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 slice of bread, cut into large cubes

Broccoli, Mushrooms and Teriyaki Sauce

• 1 lb / 500 g broccoli crowns
• ½ cup / 120 ml vegetable oil
• a handful of dried black mushrooms, soaked
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• a handful of green onions, cut in thirds
• ¼ cup / 60 ml mirin
• ¼ cup / 60 ml sake
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp tapioca (or corn) starch
• salt, pepper and cayenne to taste

Preparation

Meatballs

1. In a food processor capable of grinding meat, combine meat, onion, garlic, spices, bread and salt.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Form 1 in / 2.5 cm balls.
4. Set a heavy pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add some oil and fry the meatballs until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Set aside. Note: Do not overload the pan.

Broccoli, Mushrooms and Teriyaki Sauce

1. Set a wok (or heavy pan) over high heat.
2. Add some of the vegetable oil. Stir-fry the green onions and black mushrooms. Set aside.
3. Add more vegetable oil. Cook the broccoli crowns for a few minutes. Add mirin, sake, sugar, soy sauce and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes until the broccoli starts to soften.
4. Reduce heat. Combine starch with a bit of water and add to the pan or wok. Stir until sauce thickens.
5. Add mushrooms, green onions and meatballs and toss well.
6. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Serve.

Preparation time: less than 1 hour

Yields 4 servings