Teriyaki pork ball recipe is one of our family’s favorites; thinly sliced pork rolled up in a ball and cooked in a delectable teriyaki sauce.
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!
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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 following this tutorial)
For Coating
- 4 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch
For Cooking
- 1 Tbsp roasted sesame oil
For Teriyaki Sauce
For Garnish
- 1 green onion/scallion (finely chopped)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine ingredients for teriyaki sauce and mix well. In a medium bowl, mix sake and 1 Tbsp potato starch (cornstarch). Add the meat and rub well with your hands.
- Make one-bite size meatballs with the marinated meat and place it on a plate. Sprinkle the meatballs with 4 Tbsp potato starch (cornstarch) and evenly coat them.
- In a large skillet, heat sesame oil over medium-high heat. Place the pork balls gently on the skillet and cook them until the bottom side is browned. Flip and cook the other side until browned.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add the teriyaki sauce in the skillet and shake it to mix everything. Cook covered for 5 minutes. Flip the pork balls occasionally to coat them with the sauce.
- Garnish green onions on top and serve immediately.
To Store
- You can 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
Editor’s Note: Photos updated in August 2014