Buta no Shogayaki
豚の生姜焼き·(buta no shōgayaki)
Weeknight Okazu: The Savory Sides
Walk into a bustling Tokyo diner in the 1960s, or stand in a Japanese grandma’s kitchen on a busy Tuesday, and the air smells exactly like this: sweet soy sauce caramelizing against the sharp, spicy bite of fresh ginger. This isn't the thick, tough 'pork ginger' chop you find in bad takeout joints. True shogayaki relies on paper-thin slices of pork cooked in minutes. The secret is twofold: a whisper of potato starch to lock in the juices, and grating onion directly into the sauce. The onion's enzymes melt the meat into something incredibly tender, while adding a nostalgic sweetness that sugar alone could never touch. Serve it right next to a mountain of ice-cold shredded cabbage to soak up the hot glaze.
Before you start
Source the right cut of pork.
Visit an Asian market for Shabu-Shabu or Hot Pot sliced pork. If you only have a standard supermarket, buy a block of boneless pork loin, freeze it for 45 minutes until firm, and use a sharp chef's knife to shave it as thinly as humanly possible.
Crisp the cabbage.
Soak the finely shredded cabbage in ice water for 5 minutes, then drain thoroughly. The crisp, cold cabbage provides a crucial textural and functional contrast to the hot, soft pork.
Ingredients
- thinly sliced pork loin or pork shoulder1 lb
- potato starch or all-purpose flour2 tbsp
- neutral cooking oil1 tbsp
- yellow onion1/2 med
- green cabbage1/4 med
- soy sauce3 tbsp
- sake3 tbsp
- hon-mirin2 tbsp
- granulated sugar1 tbsp
- fresh ginger1 1/2 tbsp
- yellow onion1/4 small
Method
- 01
Mound the shredded cabbage on serving plates.
Shogayaki cooks in a flash, so have your canvas ready. The crisp cabbage is essential for soaking up the pan glaze.
- 02
Whisk together the soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar, grated onion, and one tablespoon of the grated ginger.
Stir until the sugar dissolves. The grated onion acts as an enzymatic tenderizer and will melt into the sauce, providing incredible umami.
- 03
Lightly dust the pork slices with potato starch.
You want a very fine, invisible dusting. If your pork has a thick band of fat, make tiny vertical snips with scissors through the fat to prevent the meat from curling in the pan.
- 04
Heat the neutral oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sear the pork in a single layer.
Leave the slices untouched for 60 to 90 seconds until the bottom edges turn golden brown, then flip. Work in batches if your pan is small so the meat sears rather than steams.
- 05
Push the meat to the edges of the pan and add the sliced onions to the center.
Let the onions sizzle for one minute until they just begin to soften.
- 06
Pour the sauce over the meat and onions, boiling until it forms a thick glaze.
Toss everything in the bubbling liquid for one to two minutes. The starch from the pork and the grated onion will quickly thicken the sauce.
- 07
Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the remaining half tablespoon of grated ginger.
This technique, called oishoga, preserves the bright, sharp bite of raw ginger that gets destroyed if it cooks for too long.
- 08
Drape the glazed pork and onions alongside the cabbage.
Pour any sticky pan glaze directly over the meat and serve immediately with short-grain white rice.
Notes
The Golden Ratio.
Authentic Japanese flavor relies on a mathematical balance. Using inexpensive drinking sake instead of salted 'cooking wine' ensures the soy-sake-mirin ratio remains perfectly intact without becoming overly salty.
From Cook Japanese in America.