{Tasty Tuesdays}

Japanese Meatloaf

Ok now, before you judge, you are going to want to try this.  I know, I was a little skeptical about it at first as well, but a friend showed me this recipe on EatDrinkManWife and told me I had to make it myself.  So I did.  And it was DE-LICIOUS.  The husband loved it, too, and we will definitely be making it again in the near future.

And let's be honest, it's always fun to cook with ingredients you have never cooked with before, and this one had a few firsts for me.  Here is what you'll need:

1 lb ground turkey

2 T sugar

2 T soy sauce

2 T sake (you can use white wine too, but we used sake)

1 T grated fresh ginger

1 egg

3 green onions (chopped)

Sesame seeds (Apparently black ones are better, but I didn't have them so I used white)

 

Now, it says to make the meat mixture at least an hour ahead, sometimes even a day before so that the flavors can marinate together in the fridge, but I failed to read that part and didn't have time, so I just made it right away.  Next time, I will try and make it ahead of time. 

1.  Put everything except the sesame seeds in a bowl.

2.  With clean hands, gently mix the ingredients together, making sure not to overwork the mixture.

3.  Heat a frying pan on Medium/High heat with some olive oil.  Gently form the mixture into balls (any size from a golf ball to a tennis ball) and place a couple spaced out on the frying pan.  Make sure they are not crowded (I fit 3 or 4 in each group).

4.  Let it brown for 3-4 minutes (I covered it for the last minute).  Then, sprinkle a generous portion of sesame seeds on top.

5.  Flip them over.  Once it is on it's opposite side, gently flatten it with a spatula and cook for another 3-4 minutes.  Make sure you only flatten it once and then just let it sit, you want the flavors to stay in the meat. 

6.  Once it is completely cooked through, you are done!  We served it with some fresh green beans and cucumbers. 












Some things I would do differently next time: 

1.  Make meat mixture at least an hour before cooking.
2.  Use a nonstick pan (as you can see, I slightly burned the bottom of my pan)

But there you go, folks!  Get ready for a mouth watering, cultural experience!