How To Make Meat Skewers For Kids (Tsukune)
Description
Skewers are such an obvious move for small children: handheld eating, soft and moist meat, endless adaptations. If you’ve mastered every meatball, played out every variation on ground beef possible, and/or are just dying to fire up the grill or broiler to make some meat, we’ve got you–and your skewers–covered with the cheap and easy approach that follows.
But, first, a question: what’s your flavor? Maybe you’re craving Pakistani seekh kabobs, Sichuan street meat, or Indonesian say; your child, though, may not be ready for spice-forward meat sticks. Shish kebab, at least as we know it in America, fits the plain-enough category; the size of the meat pieces, which tend to be thick and pretty cooked through, may make chewing difficult. Our solution? Go Japanese. Tsukune, as meatballs are called in Japan, checks off all the needs and wants: supple, with that characteristically deep but subtle flavor that comes from sesame oil, miso, and scallions; the sauce has a sweet and savory profile that is hard for a kid to stop eating. But, hey, you can also just coat the meatballs in any number of sauces: hoisin, teriyaki, barbecue, etc. See the ‘Adapt’ section for your options.
Ingredients
Sauce
Instructions
Prep
- If using bamboo or other kind of wood skewer, soak in water for 30 minutes (to ensure they don’t burn).
- Dice up the green part of the scallions into small rings; chop spinach into the smallest pieces you can.
- Heat a pan to Medium Low; add a bit of oil and swirl around pan. Grab a chunk of the chicken meat–not quite half but more than a quarter–and toss into the pan. Cook, stirring and tossing regularly, until the meat is not pink but not yet browned on outside, roughly two minutes; chop meat into small pieces. Allow to cool.
- In a Medium bowl, combine cooked and raw chicken, then add the miso and sesame oil; using a spatula or fork, mix vigorously. Add the scallions and spinach pieces and again stir and smash to integrate. Keep stirring in all directions until the meat turns pale and pasty. Stick in the fridge for ten minutes.
- When ready to cook, grab a chunk of meat and squeeze and shape it until it forms a cylinder or flat cigar. Thread the skewer through the center of the meat, then mold the meat mixture around the skewer so it is even and covers the stick on all sides. Repeat for remaining meat mixture. (Note: If you find the meat loose or having trouble sticking to the skewer, place in fridge for 10-15 minutes to firm.)
- Line a baking pan with foil, then place a wire rack on top of the pan; spray or coat pan with oil. Place a column of 3-5 meat skewers on the left side of the rack, the skewer handle facing out to the edges and the meat facing toward the center of the rack; repeat for the right side, again with the meat part of the skewer on the inside. Cover the skewer handles with foil to avoid burning them.
Cook
- Make the sauce: pour ⅛ cup of water, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar into a small pot; set pot to Medium and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cook until thick, 20-25 minutes.
- Set up your oven so that there are racks placed on the top two levels. Set your oven to “Broil”--and to “High,” if you have that option–and allow five minutes to warm up.
- Cook for three minutes on oven rack second from top, then bring up to top rack and cook until slightly browned, roughly 45-60 seconds;
- Flip the chicken skewers over–if struggling to do so, see Note below for a tip–and return to second rack from the top; again cook for three minutes, then bring up to the top rack for one minute to brown.
- Brush sauce all over the chicken pieces, then return to the top rack and broil until sauce is glazy and shiny but not burnt, 45-60 seconds.
Serve
Let the skewers cool down before serving; otherwise, slide the chicken tube off the skewer and either break into small(er) pieces or spear with a fork so your child can eat the chicken from one end. Side with extra sauce (or another condiment.
Adapt
If you have neither the time nor interest in making the sauce, you can sub in pretty much anything thick with some sugar in it: hoisin, teriyaki, barbecue sauce, etc. No skewers? No problem: form meat mixture into small and fat meatballs and cook for 2-3 minutes a side; glaze with sauce after the meatballs finish cooking.
Note
Note: metal skewers work best here–they’re reusable and don’t burn–but you’ll need to hold off serving with them until they’ve cooled down. In a pinch, you can use wooden chopsticks, but be sure to soak them in water and wrap in foil so they don’t burn up.
If you’re having trouble turning the skewers over–whether because they’re fragile or because they’re sticking to the grates of your rack–try using a spatula to get underneath the meat and skewer; use your hands to turn the piece over.
