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- Our Wagyu beef meatballs recipe - a Scandi Japanese fusion
- Meatballs, meatballs - everywhere
- Why Wagyu beef?
- Highlighting amazing Japanese flavours
- How to make Wagyu beef meatballs
- How to make the most incredible red wine and kombu broth
- More Japanese fusion recipes
- Latest recipes
- Wagyu beef meatballs with red wine and kombu broth recipe
Succulent and intensely flavoured wagyu beef meatballs made with prime cuts of Japanese beef, ground and expertly blended with authentic asian flavours and embellished with a hint of truffle. These Wagyu beef meatballs are prepared, however, using traditional Scandinavian techniques normally set aside for making authentic Swedish meatballs.
Our Wagyu beef meatballs recipe - a Scandi Japanese fusion
Wagyu steak is a premium product and deserves the proper treatment with its preparation. With these wagyu beef meatballs, we have taken inspiration from how classic Swedish meatballs are made to showcase the superior flavour and texture of wagyu beef, and as a homage to its Japanese heritage, infuse it with umami intense kombu dashi, soy and crispy seaweed. Braising the wagyu beef meatballs in rich red wine and kombu broth enriched with butter combines “Swedish Hygge” and “Japanese luxury” to create the ultimate Japandi comfort food.
Meatballs, meatballs - everywhere
Meatball recipes are varied and transcend borders, weaving a tapestry of flavours and techniques that showcase the diversity of culinary traditions around the world. Each culture puts its spin on this beloved dish, from the aromatic spices of Moroccan kefta to the savoury blend of ground beef and pork in Italian polpette. In Sweden for example, köttbullar boasts a comforting combination of ground meat, breadcrumbs, and spices, while in the Middle East, kofta delights with a blend of minced lamb or beef, onions, and herbs. Mexican albondigas tantalise with flavours of chilli, garlic, and cumin, while Greek soutzoukakia feature meatballs seasoned with cumin, paprika, and cinnamon, simmered in a rich tomato sauce.
Japan has meatball offerings such as pork meatballs, known as niku-dango or chicken meatballs known as tsukune, which are deep-fried and glazed in sweet and sour soy sauces.
With homegrown Wagyu beef on their doorstep, however, it is a little surprising that meatball recipes dedicated to this incredible ingredient aren’t as ingrained into Japan's rich gastronomic history as pork or chicken is.
Why Wagyu beef?
Wagyu beef is a premium Japanese beef variety that is highly prized for its exceptional quality and flavour. The breeds; Japanese Black, Japanese Brown, Japanese Polled and Japanese Shorthorn, collectively known as Wagyu are prized for their intense marbling, which results from the Japanese cattle's genetic predisposition to producing fat rather than muscle, and as such, Wagyu beef is renowned for its meltingly soft texture and rich, buttery taste. Because of the cattle's limited availability and rigorous rearing standards, Wagyu beef is also one of the most expensive types of beef on the market and despite its hefty price tag, Wagyu beef remains a favourite among meat lovers who appreciate it for its unique flavour profile and luxurious dining experience.
Traditionally, fillet, ribeye, sirloin and rump cuts are seared or roasted and enjoyed as a classic steak by itself. However, Wagyu beef is guaranteed to elevate any dish it's in, and in this case, using a fusion of cooking techniques and ingredients, transforming it into incredible melt-in-your-mouth wagyu meatballs.
Highlighting amazing Japanese flavours
As well as getting the best flavour and texture out of the Wagyu beef in a meatball we really wanted to highlight the Japanese origin of the meat. The many meatball recipes around the world highlight that country’s culture with its distinctive ingredients. Much of these flavours, however tasty they are, can be the overwhelming characteristic of the dish, aromatic spices in the Middle Eastern kitchen or smoked chilli in Mexican cuisine and a sweet and sour glaze on Japanese meatballs for example are wonderful additives but they are the shining flavours that carry the flavour of the meat rather than the other way around. These meatball recipes are perfect to dress up cheaper cuts of meat but we want the Wagyu to be the star of the show.
A traditional Swedish meatball recipe uses a blend of pork and beef which is bound together with the addition of breadcrumbs soaked in milk. This in itself is not extraordinary as this is very similar to how some beef burgers are made. The difference is that the mixture is then processed in a blender before being formed into bite-sized pieces and fried. This creates the signature texture of a Swedish meatball making it very much a unique product.
This recipe is perfect to showcase the flavour of Wagyu and the addition of breadcrumbs not only help bind the meatballs but they can act as a vessel to soak up extra compatible flavour. In this case, we soak them in a rich flavoured dashi which is a stock created with kombu seaweed and bonito, a dried tuna product, which is not only umami rich, it pairs incredibly well with meat and helps enhance an intense flavour. Kombu, of course, is also a Japanese product just like wagyu, so the pairing works on two levels.
How to make Wagyu beef meatballs
As it is with many meatball recipes, we start with a base of finely chopped onion or shallots and lightly fry them until soft and translucent. Onions also soak up flavour so we add a little soy sauce and truffle oil for a more intense luxuriousness and let them cool down before mixing it with freshly ground wagyu steak.
For the breadcrumbs, simply pour a quarter of a cup of kombu dashi over one cup of panko breadcrumbs and once the liquid has been soaked up, combine this into the mixture as well. Season well with salt and pepper and then place half the mixture in a blender and process until smooth. It is this meat-paste that when cooked, gives Swedish meatballs their unmistakable unique quality.
Combine this smooth paste back with the other half of the ground meat and for one last aspect of Japanese panache, add a sprinkling of crispy seaweed and sesame seeds for that added texture dimension and asian flavour. The mix is then ready to roll into gobstopper-sized meatballs to be cooked.
The mix, which is now half blended and half freshly minced, creates a perfect texture when cooked that is bouncy and with a meaty bite all at the same time. Using freshly ground/minced steak means that you can now treat the meatballs to the same cooking procedure as a fresh steak. So a few minutes in a hot frying pan with some frothing, bubbling butter works a treat. However, for a fuller-flavoured meatball, braising them in some red wine, beef and kombu stock enriched with a little butter elevates the entire dish.
How to make the most incredible red wine and kombu broth
For the base of the broth, start by frying a finely chopped onion and when translucent add a glass of decent red wine. Reduce the wine by a third and then add 600ml of rich beef stock and 80ml of kombu. Simmer the broth for about 30 minutes until it thickens in texture. Sieve the broth to remove the onion pieces and then stir in a tablespoon of soft butter to enrich and glaze the broth.
Adding the Wagyu beef meatballs at this point will re-heat them and at the same time they will flavour the red wine broth and the broth will flavour the meatballs. The soupier consistency works perfectly with the meatballs recipe giving it an almost Japanese ramen-like feel. If you were to reduce the sauce more to a thicker gravy, simply reduce the kombu component as it would intensify the flavour too much otherwise.
To finish this intrepid fusion of East meets West feast, simply serve it on a bed of wilted spinach and creamy mashed potato as a classic accompaniment or sticky sushi rice to complete the Asian meatball mashup and enjoy. This is certainly no longer a simple dish of humble meatballs, this is a dish of morishly good, mouth-watering Wagyu beef meatballs.
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Wagyu beef meatballs with red wine and kombu broth recipe
Ingredients
Wagyu beef meatballs
- 500 g Wagyu steak
- 1 onion, finely diced
- ½ a cup of crispy seaweed
- ½ teaspoon of black sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon of soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon of truffle oil
- 1 cup of breadcrumbs
- 60 ml or ¼ cup of kombu stock
- 1 tablespoon of butter for frying
Red wine and kombu broth
- 1 onion diced
- 80 ml or ⅓ cup of kombu stock
- 125 ml or ½ cup of red wine
- 600 ml or 2 ½ cup of beef stock
- 1 tablespoon of soft butter
Instructions
- Fry the onion in a pan with a little olive oil, soy sauce and truffle oil until soft and translucent. Set aside to cool.
- Cut the Wagyu steak into strips and put them through a meat grinder to produce a fine mince.
- Pour the kombu stock over the breadcrumbs and stir until it has all been absorbed.
- Add together the Wagyu mince, kombu breadcrumbs and cooked chopped onions in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Take half of the mixture and place in a food processor or blender and process too a smooth paste. Add the paste back to the chopped meat mix and use your hands to fully combine to a smooth mix.
- Scoop out portions and mould into equal sized meatballs about 4 or 5 centimetres in diameter and place on baking paper lined tray.
- Add some olive oil to a large frying pan and bring to a fairly high heat. Add a tablespoon of soft salted butter and wait for it to start foaming. Add the meatballs (in batches if necessary) and fry for 5-6 minutes spooning the hot butter over each meatball until nicely browned all over. Set aside.
- For the broth, fry the chopped onion in a pan with a little olive oil until softened. Add the red wine and reduce by a third. Prepare 600ml of rich beef stock and add it to the broth with 80ml of kombu stock. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Pass the broth through a sieve and remove the onion before returning the liquid to the pan. Add the butter and whisk through to glaze the broth.
- Add the meatball into the broth and re-heat for 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve with mashed potato and wilted spinach or warm sushi rice.
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