Nikudango (Japanese Pork Meatballs) / 肉団子

Nikudango are tasty pork meatballs in a light sweet and sour sauce and are a great addition to any meal!

Nikudango (肉団子) is another one of those items that you don’t often see at restaurants but people often make at home. The name literally means meat (niku) and ball (dango) so you can technically use any meat to make this (although chicken meatballs are usually called tsukune and fish meatballs are called tsumire). Since beef was introduced later to Japan, many Japanese-style meatball dishes use pork.

This recipe uses my favorite sauce for nikudango called amazu-an, which is a light Japanese sweet and sour sauce. You can also use teriyaki or others sauces on these same meatballs to change up the dish! Also, these meatballs freeze well and heat well so they are great to put in a bento lunch, too.

You can get the Japanese condiments from MY PANTRY or in the “Shop this post” section below if you don’t have easy access to an Asian market.

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5 from 1 vote

Nikudango (Japanese Pork Meatballs) / 肉団子

Tasty meatballs in a light Japanese sweet and sour sauce.

Course: Main Course

Keyword: meatball, pork

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 onion diced
• 1 inch ginger grated
• 1 tbsp sake
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 1 tsp salt
• oil for frying

Sauce

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp sake
• 2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed in 3 tbsp water

Instructions

• Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs (minus the oil) in a bowl and mix well.
• Take about 1 tbsp of the meat mixture and roll into a ball. Repeat until you use up all the meat (it will be about 24 meatballs). *TIP*: wet your hands periodically to keep the meat from sticking.
• Heat oil in a deep frypan or pot to approximate 350° F.
• Gently drop each meatball into the oil. Fry in batches (do not overcrowd( for about 3-4 minutes (or until browned and cooked through).
• Transfer to a mesh tray or onto paper towels to drain excess oil.
• For the sauce, add all the sauce ingredients (except the cornstarch/water combo) in a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat.
• When it starts boiling, reduce the heat on low and add the cornstarch/water mixture. Mix well until the sauce is thickened. Remove from heat.
• Pour sauce over meatballs, toss, and serve!

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Oroshi Shoga (Grated Ginger) / おろし生姜

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Seasoned Rice Vinegar / すし酢

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Soy Sauce / 醬油

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Mirin / みりん

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