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Tsukune Agnolotti – A Japanese-Italian Fusion Pasta

Cooks in 2 hours Difficulty Hard

If you love the idea of culinary fusion, this Tsukune Agnolotti recipe is going to blow your mind. Inspired by Kissa Tanto — one of Vancouver’s most celebrated restaurants — this dish combines the delicate craftsmanship of Italian pasta with the bold, umami-packed flavors of Japanese tsukune (chicken meatballs).

The result? A comforting yet elevated plate of pasta that feels both familiar and entirely new at the same time.

Kissa Tanto’s signature neon sign

The Story Behind Tsukune Agnolotti

I first had this dish back in 2019 at Kissa Tanto in Vancouver, Canada. Known for its elegant blending of Japanese and Italian cuisines, Kissa Tanto has become a landmark for food lovers who appreciate thoughtful, creative cooking.

The original Tsukune Agnolotti

When I ordered the Tsukune Agnolotti, I wasn’t sure what to expect — but it completely changed how I thought about fusion food. The dish celebrated the best of both worlds:

  • The pasta: pillowy agnolotti, toothsome and tender, stuffed with tsukune, a Japanese-style chicken meatball mix flavored with miso, soy sauce, sake, and ginger.
  • The sauce: a buttery chicken tare, built from roasted chicken bones, sake, mirin, kombu, soy, and parmesan — a true East-meets-West umami bomb.
  • The garnish: crisp lotus root chips and fresh chives, a nod to Japanese texture play and Italian finishing touches.

Sadly, this dish is no longer on Kissa Tanto’s menu, but recreating it at home keeps the spirit of that experience alive.

Why This Dish Works

  • Shared values: Both Japanese and Italian cuisines emphasize seasonality, technique, and umami.
  • Balance of flavors: The miso-soy richness of tsukune mirrors the savory depth of parmesan and butter.
  • Texture harmony: Soft pasta, juicy meat filling, velvety sauce, and crunchy lotus root — every bite feels complete.

This is more than just a recipe; it’s a conversation between two food cultures that value patience, care, and bold flavor.

Tsukune Agnolotti Recipe

Yields: 4 servings
Time: About 2.5 hours (including resting and roasting time)

Ingredients

Tsukune Filling (Chicken Meatballs)

  • 500 g ground chicken thighs
  • 1 large egg
  • 100 g onion, grated and squeezed dry
  • 50 g leek, minced
  • 5 g ginger, grated
  • 5 g soy sauce
  • 5 g miso
  • 2 g salt
  • 10 g sake

Chicken Tare Sauce

  • Bones of 1 chicken
  • 1 leek, roughly chopped
  • 200 g sake
  • 200 g mirin
  • 30 g sugar
  • 80 g soy sauce
  • 5 g kombu
  • 40 g butter, cubed
  • 5 g parmesan

Pasta Dough

  • Approx. 350 g 00 flour
  • 2 large eggs + 3 egg yolks

Lotus Root Crisps

  • ½ lotus root, mandolined
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tbsp vinegar
  • Salt
  • Dashi powder

Garnish

  • Chives, cut into batons

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Make the Tsukune Filling

  1. Grate and squeeze onions dry using a cloth or paper towel.
  2. Mix ground chicken with egg, miso, soy, sake, and salt until sticky.
  3. Add leek, onion, and ginger. Knead into a paste.
  4. Chill for 30 minutes to develop flavor.

2. Make the Chicken Tare Sauce

  1. Roast chicken bones and leek at 400°F until browned.
  2. Simmer with sake, mirin, and sugar until reduced by half.
  3. Add soy sauce and kombu, steep 10 minutes. Strain.

3. Make the Lotus Root Crisps

  1. Soak slices in water with vinegar for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

  2. Fry at 325°F until golden.
  3. Season with salt and dashi powder.

4. Make the Pasta Dough

  1. On a large work surface, place the flour and form a well in the middle.
  2. Add in the eggs and egg yolk. Whisk the eggs, gradually adding in flour until it forms a cohesive paste.
  3. Use a bench scraper to chop and mix the rest of the flour until you get a rough ball.
  4. Continue to knead for about 5-10 minutes until the dough has smoothed.
  5. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
  6. Break the dough into 4 portions and roll out on a pasta roller to a 2-3 mm thick sheet.
  7. Cut the sides to make it a long rectangular shape.
  8. Place the meat ball mix into a piping bag and pipe a long strip of filling along the pasta sheet.
  9. Turn over the bottom of the sheet over itself, ensuring there is an edge formed on the outer side.
  10. Cut away most of the excess dough using a pasta cutter.
  11. Using your index and thumb of both hands, pinch the dough on each side of a mound of filling, every 3/4 inches.
  12. Cut each dough where you pinched.

5. Cook and Assemble

  1. Heat a pot of salted water to a boil.
  2. Cook the agnolotti until they rise to the surface, about 2-3 minutes.
  3. In a pan, add about 1 cup of chicken tare sauce and bring it to a simmer.
  4. Add the cooked agnolotti, 5 g of parmesan, butter, and toss.
  5. Plate and garnish with the lotus root crisps and chives.
Tsukune Agnolotti – A Japanese-Italian Fusion Pasta

Tsukune Agnolotti – A Japanese-Italian Fusion Pasta

Recipe by Patrick Kong
Course: MainCuisine: Japanese, ItalianDifficulty: Hard
Print
Servings
+
–

4

servings
Prep time

2

hours 
Cooking time

15

minutes

Ingredients

  • Meatballs (Tsukune)

  • 500 g chicken thighs, boneless, skinless ground

  • 1 large egg

  • 100 g onion, grated and squeezed

  • 50 g leek, minced

  • 5 g ginger, grated

  • 5 g soy sauce

  • 5 g miso

  • 2 g salt

  • 10 g sake

  • Chicken Tare Sauce

  • Bones of 1 chicken

  • 1 leek, roughly chopped

  • 200 g sake

  • 200 g mirin

  • 30 g sugar

  • 80 g soy sauce

  • 5 g kombu

  • 40 g butter, cubed

  • 5 g parmesan

  • Pasta Dough

  • ~350 g 00 flour, sifted

  • 3 large eggs

  • 3 egg yolks

  • Lotus Root Crisps

  • 1/2 lotus root, shaved on a mandolin

  • 1 cup water

  • 1 tbsp vinegar

  • Salt

  • Dashi powder

  • Garnish

  • Chives, cut into batons

Directions

  • Make the Meatball (Tsukune) Mix
  • Prepare all the aromatics. For the onion, place it in a tea towel or cheesecloth after grating and wring out any excess water. This will prevent the meatball mix from getting soggy.
  • Knead the ground chicken with the egg, miso, sake, soy sauce, and salt until it forms a cohesive paste, about 5-10 minutes.
  • Add the aromatics and knead for another 3-5 minutes. Wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors meld. You can make this 1-2 days ahead and keep it in the refrigerator.
  • Make the Chicken Tare Sauce
  • Roast the chicken bones and leek in a 400 F oven until browned all over, about 45 minutes.
  • In a pot, simmer the sake, mirin, sugar, and roasted bones and leek until the liquid has reduced by half, about 30 minutes.
  • Add the soy sauce and kombu. Turn off the heat and let the kombu steep for about 10 minutes.
  • Strain the sauce. You can make this 1-2 days ahead and keep it in the refrigerator.
  • Make the Lotus Root Crisps
  • Soak the lotus root in a mixture of water and vinegar for 15 minutes.
  • Drain and pat dry.
  • Heat oil to 325 F and fry the lotus root until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes.
  • Season immediately with salt and dashi powder.
  • Pasta Dough
  • On a large work surface, place the flour and form a well in the middle.
  • Add in the eggs and egg yolk. Whisk the eggs, gradually adding in flour until it forms a cohesive paste.
  • Use a bench scraper to chop and mix the rest of the flour until you get a rough ball.
  • Continue to knead for about 5-10 minutes until the dough has smoothed.
  • Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
  • Break the dough into 4 portions and roll out on a pasta roller to a 2-3 mm thick sheet.
  • Cut the sides to make it a long rectangular shape.
  • Place the meat ball mix into a piping bag and pipe a long strip of filling along the pasta sheet.
  • Turn over the bottom of the sheet over itself, ensuring there is an edge formed on the outer side.
  • Cut away most of the excess dough using a pasta cutter.
  • Using your index and thumb of both hands, pinch the dough on each side of a mound of filling, every 3/4 inches.
  • Cut each dough where you pinched.
  • Assembly
  • Heat a pot of salted water to a boil.
  • Cook the agnolotti until they rise to the surface, about 2-3 minutes.
  • In a pan, add chicken tare sauce and bring it to a simmer.
  • Add the cooked agnolotti, 5 g of parmesan, butter, and toss.
  • Plate and garnish with the lotus root crisps and chives.

Final Thoughts

This Tsukune Agnolotti recipe is a perfect example of how two cuisines can merge seamlessly. The care of Italian pasta-making meets the bold depth of Japanese tare and tsukune. Every bite feels like a celebration of craft and culture.

If you’re curious about Japanese-Italian fusion, start here. And if you ever find yourself in Vancouver, make sure to check out Kissa Tanto — a restaurant that continues to show the world how food can cross borders beautifully.

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