Living in the US, I encounter the word “teriyaki” a lot. In case you don’t know what teriyaki means? Teriyaki is a way of Japanese cooking. “Teri” means luster and “yaki” means to grill.
The key ingredient to make teriyaki sauce is mirin, which creates luster to ingredients. The authentic teriyaki sauce is very easy to make. It’s a combination of soy sauce, cooking sake, mirin, and sugar. Each family has a different ratio, but my home is usually 1/1/1 (soy sauce/cooking sake/Mirin + sugar). Depending on the ingredients I use, I change my ratio, adjusting soy sauce or sugar.
I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
Teriyaki Pork Balls
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 Tbsp sake
- 1 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch
- ¾ lb thinly sliced pork (I use the komagire cut from a Japanese grocery store; you can thinly slice your own meat)
For Coating
- 4 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch
For Cooking
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
For the Teriyaki Sauce
For the Garnish
- 1 green onion/scallion (finely chopped)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the teriyaki sauce ingredients: ½ tsp ginger (grated, with juice), 2 cloves garlic (thinly sliced), 2 Tbsp sake, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp mirin, 1 Tbsp sugar, and 2 Tbsp water. Mix well. In a separate medium bowl, mix 1 Tbsp sake and 1 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch. Add ¾ lb thinly sliced pork and rub well with your hands to coat.
- Make bite-size meatballs with the marinated meat and place on a plate. Evenly coat the meatballs with 4 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil over medium-high heat. Gently place the meatballs on the hot skillet and cook until the bottom side is browned. Flip and cook the other side until browned.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the teriyaki sauce to the skillet and shake to mix everything. Cook, covered, for 5 minutes. Flip the pork balls occasionally to coat them with the sauce.
To Serve
- Transfer to a serving platter and drizzle with the pan sauce. Garnish on top with 1 green onion/scallion (finely chopped) and serve immediately.
To Store
- Keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for a month.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @justonecookbook on Instagram so we can see your delicious creation!
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on January 19, 2011. It was updated with new images in August 2014.