Japanese ginger pork (shogayaki)
Thin slices of pork and onion glazed in a sweet soy and fresh ginger sauce, with rice and crunchy cabbage, a Japanese lunch-counter classic.
- 35 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.05 a serving
- 570 calories
- Good the next day
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1½ cups jasmine rice
- 2 cups green cabbage
- 1¼ lb boneless pork chops, boneless
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise (optional)
From your pantry
- 2¼ cups water
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Each serving has about 570 calories, 37 g protein, 67 g carbs and 16 g fat, and costs about $2.05 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No jasmine rice? Long-grain white rice or basmati rice works.
- No green cabbage? Red cabbage or coleslaw mix works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the rice and bring it with the water in a .
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
Cover, turn the heat to low, and cook 15 minutes.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
the cabbage as thin as you can and keep it in the fridge.
Shred. Shredding means making thin strips, either on the big holes of a grater or by pulling cooked meat apart with two forks. Shreds soak up sauce and mix evenly through a dish.
How you’ll know: Cooked chicken pulls apart into strands with little effort, and cheese comes off in long, loose strips.
Cut the pork into , about ⅛ inch thick.
Thinly slice. Thinly slicing means cutting slices about an eighth of an inch thick, roughly two coins stacked. Thin slices cook in seconds and soften fast, which quick dishes need.
How you’ll know: A slice bends a little when you hold it by one edge, and slow, steady cuts beat fast ones.
Dolly’s tip: Twenty minutes in the freezer makes thin slicing much easier.Stir the ginger, soy sauce, mirin and sugar together in a small bowl.
Heat the oil in a large over medium-high. Cook the pork in two batches, 1 minute a side, until with no pink left, and move it to a plate.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Medium-high heatTimer: 2 min
Food safety: Steak, pork chops and other whole cuts are safe at 145°F in the middle, then let them rest for 3 minutes before cutting.
Add the onion and cook 3 minutes, stirring, until soft and at the edges.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium-high heatTimer: 3 min
Return the pork, pour in the ginger sauce, and 1 minute, until the sauce and coats everything.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Medium-high heatTimer: 1 min
Serve over the rice with a pile of the cabbage and a little mayonnaise on the side for the cabbage.
Dolly’s tip: Mayo with the cabbage is how it comes in Japan. Try it once before you decide.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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