Tofu Tsukune (Japanese Chicken Patties)
豆腐のつくね焼き（卵なし） · Tofu no Tsukune-yaki
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Tsukune are Japanese chicken meatballs or patties, and this is the version we serve at preschool. Mashed firm tofu and finely chopped carrot, onion and hijiki seaweed are mixed into ground chicken, so the patties come out soft and light enough for even the youngest children to bite through. A splash of soy milk and a little panko hold everything together in place of egg, which makes the recipe friendly to children with egg allergies. Baking the patties on a sheet rather than pan-frying means the whole batch cooks evenly with almost no hands-on time.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 60 gfirm tofu
- 10.5 gcarrot
- 10.5 gonion
- 0.5 gdried hijiki seaweedShort, black strands of dried seaweed with a mild, earthy flavor that are soaked before simmering. Substitute: Dried wakame or arame.
- 30 gground chicken
Seasonings
- 2.3 goil (for stir-frying)
- 4.5 gsweetened soy milk (Japanese chosei tonyu)Japanese 'prepared' soy milk that is lightly sweetened and flavored to taste milder than plain soy milk. Substitute: Regular (original, lightly sweetened) soy milk from the supermarket.
- 5.7 gpanko
- 0.3 gsugar
- 0.6 gsoy sauce
- 0.2 gsalt
- 1.5 goil (for the baking sheet)
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- dried hijiki seaweed (干しひじき)
- Short, black strands of dried seaweed with a mild, earthy flavor that are soaked before simmering. Substitute: Dried wakame or arame.
- sweetened soy milk (Japanese chosei tonyu) (調製豆乳)
- Japanese 'prepared' soy milk that is lightly sweetened and flavored to taste milder than plain soy milk. Substitute: Regular (original, lightly sweetened) soy milk from the supermarket.
Directions
- 1
Parboil the tofu, then crumble it finely in a sieve and drain it thoroughly. Soak the hijiki in water to rehydrate it, then tip it into a sieve and drain well.
- 2
Finely mince the carrot and onion, combine them with the hijiki, and stir-fry well in the oil.
- 3
Combine the tofu, the stir-fried vegetables, the ground chicken, soy milk, panko, sugar, soy sauce and salt, and mix well until the mixture becomes sticky.
- 4
Toss each portion back and forth between your palms to knock out the air, shape into rounds, and arrange on a baking sheet brushed with oil. Bake in an oven preheated to 200°C (400°F) for about 20 minutes.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 159 kcal | 318 kcal | 159 kcal |
| Protein | 10.6 g | 21.3 g | 10.6 g |
| Fat | 10.8 g | 21.6 g | 10.8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7.5 g | 15 g | 7.5 g |
| Fiber | 1.7 g | 3.3 g | 1.7 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.5 g | 0.9 g | 0.5 g |
| Calcium | 70.5 mg | 141 mg | 70.5 mg |
| Iron | 1.2 mg | 2.4 mg | 1.2 mg |
| Potassium | 237 mg | 474 mg | 237 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 159 kcal | 10.6 g | 10.8 g | 7.5 g | 1.7 g | 0.5 g | 70.5 mg | 1.2 mg | 237 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 318 kcal | 21.3 g | 21.6 g | 15 g | 3.3 g | 0.9 g | 141 mg | 2.4 mg | 474 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
Ingredients in this recipe
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