Okazu
おかず·(oh-kah-zoo)
Weeknight Okazu: The Savory Sides
If you grew up in a Japanese-American household, you know Okazu. In Japan, the word simply means whatever savory dish you happen to be eating with your rice. But for immigrants stretching a dollar in a new country, it became the proper noun for dinner: ground meat, resilient vegetables, and a sweet, salty soy broth. This version traces the diaspora memory back to its mainland roots using ground pork, cheap cabbage, and the absolute non-negotiable secret of grandma's kitchen: a potato starch slurry that turns pan juices into a glossy, rice-coating gravy. It is unpretentious, born of necessity, and exactly what comfort food is supposed to taste like.
Before you start
Prepare your rice before you start cooking.
This stir-fry comes together in ten minutes. Ensure your short-grain white rice is fully steamed and resting before you fire up the skillet.
Mix your liquids in advance.
Stir-fries move fast. Having your sauce and slurry measured and ready prevents your garlic from burning while you scramble to measure soy sauce.
Ingredients
- ground pork1 lb
- green cabbage1/2 med
- toasted sesame oil1 tbsp
- garlic1 med clove
- fresh ginger1 tsp
- soy sauce3 tbsp
- mirin2 tbsp
- sake1 tbsp
- sugar1 tbsp
- potato starch1 tbsp
- cold water2 tbsp
- short-grain white rice4 cup
- pickled ginger2 tbsp
Method
- 01
Mix the sweet and savory sauce.
In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar until the sugar is mostly dissolved.
- 02
Create the thickening slurry.
In a separate tiny bowl, stir the potato starch and cold water together until smooth, then set it aside.
- 03
Aromatize the oil.
Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat, add the toasted sesame oil, and cook the garlic and ginger for about 15 seconds until highly fragrant.
- 04
Brown the pork.
Add the ground pork, breaking it apart loosely to leave some bite-sized chunks for texture, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until no longer pink.
- 05
Steam-fry the cabbage.
Toss the chopped cabbage into the skillet with the meat, turn the heat down to medium, cover, and let it steam in the pork's juices for 3 to 4 minutes until softened but not mushy.
- 06
Glaze the meat and vegetables.
Remove the lid, pour the soy sauce mixture over everything, and toss for 1 minute to let the flavors absorb.
- 07
Thicken into a gravy.
Give your starch slurry a quick stir to lift anything that settled, pour it evenly into the pan, and stir continuously for 30 to 60 seconds until the liquid transforms into a glossy glaze.
- 08
Serve immediately.
Ladle massive spoonfuls of the meat and cabbage directly over hot bowls of steamed white rice and garnish with a pinch of pickled ginger.
Notes
Pantry flexibility is the soul of this dish.
If you do not have cabbage, chunks of zucchini, sliced green beans, or even frozen peas are deeply traditional diaspora substitutions.
Do not skip the starch slurry.
Without it, the sauce pools at the bottom of the bowl and turns your rice soggy. The slurry keeps the rice fluffy while ensuring the savory flavors cling to the meat.
Feel free to swap the protein.
Ground beef yields a richer, heavier dish that was standard in many California households, while a 50/50 mix of pork and beef is traditional in Japan.
From Cook Japanese in America.