Shogayaki is translated as “cooked with ginger.” It is every Japanese family’s go-to recipes to cook at home because it is quick and delicious. It is one of the most popular ways to prepare pork in Japanese food culture, along with Tonkatsu (fried pork cutlets). Like many authentic Japanese recipes that produce full flavor and tender meat, the secret to great Shogajaki is in the marinade. It is a perfect and simple meal to prepare served with fresh cabbage with hot white rice. Follow our tips to help you make Shogayaki that comes out juicy and flavorful, just like in Japan.
Golden Ratio of Japanese Cooking
Getting the flavor right for authentic Japanese food recipes involves mastering the Golden Ratio approach to mixing seasonings for sauces. Don’t worry. It’s not that complicated. What it means is that you understand how the ratio of crucial flavor ingredients like soy sauce, mirin, and sake to each other and also the sauce stock, usually dashi (fish broth), is going to affect the final quality. When done right, the result is a fully umami-rich experience. It differentiates your dish from just a tasty meal to a knock-out-plate that tastes as it came right out of the Japanese top chef kitchen.
Those three basic ingredients, soy sauce, mirin, and sake, should also be added to your permanent kitchen seasoning collection. By experimenting with them, you can not only re-create many flavors of Japanese food at home but bring new life to familiar dishes – from hamburgers to soups. This shogayaki recipe uses all three flavors in a golden ratio of 2:1:1 to Sake: Soy Sauce: Mirin. This marinade creates the rich flavor underlying the ginger pork and also serves to help tenderize the meat.
Cooking Tips:
- A key is not to preheat the frying pan. Add raw ingredients to the pan, and gradually heat up over medium heat instead. Make sure to stir while heating. This makes sure the flavors absorb into the pork properly.
- When it’s almost done, make sure to taste the sauce. If it’s too weak, add a bit of sake, soy sauce, or mirin to your taste.
- Slightly burnt is a sign of deliciousness for this recipe. Caramelized onions and meat will make you addicted to this dish!
Ginger Pork Shogayaki
Ingredients
- 1 lb Pork Belly
- ½ White Onion
- Plenty of Cabbage, shredded
Instructions
- Cut pork belly into bite sized pieces. Slice onion.
- Mix together all of the ingredients of the seasoning in a medium sized bowl.
- Place pork belly and onions into the bowl and mix together. Marinate for about 10 minutes.
- Pour meat and marinade into a frying pan and cook over medium heat. Stir occasionally.
- Once meat is cooked through and onions are translucent, serve with plenty of shredded cabbage and a bowl of rice. Enjoy!
