tamori-style shogayaki

Recently on tv there was someone raving about Tamori's favorite shogayaki (pork ginger).

Tamori is a popular figure in Japanese culture that hosts many shows.

I went online and found a recipe for the shogayaki and decided to try it.

Tamori-style shogayaki : serves 2　: Tamy Blog

300 grams pork loin, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
some flour

Sauce
3 tablespoons shoyu
3 tablespoons sake (rice wine)
3 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)
ginger

Coat meat with flour
Saute in pan
Add sauce

NOTES: this was super easy and tasty. If you use a non-stick pan, you don't need to add any oil.

I didn't coat the meat with flour (wanting to cut some of the carbs out), but realized that I should coat it the next time to keep the meat tender and juicy.

I only made half the amount of meat for the two of us and also cut back the amount of sauce.

This was good with rice.

leftovers

I had some leftover shogayaki (pork ginger), so I made donburi (bowled dish).

I sliced cabbage and onion and heated in a pan until they wilted.

Then I added a cup of Japanese stock, 1 tablespoon shoyu (soy sauce), 1 tablespoon sake (rice wine) & 1/2 tablespoon sugar.

When everything was all bubbly, I added the leftover pork ginger to heat.

When the pork was heated through, I added two scrambled eggs.

I put some rice into a bowl, ladled the pork ginger mixture on top and topped it with some grated daikon (long white radish) and a dash of shichimi (Japanese 7-spice). I also served the donburi with some tsukemono (pickled veggies)--kyuri asazuke (lightly pickled cucumber) & rakkyo (pickled shallots).

It was a nice way to warm up plus use up all my leftovers.

waiting for the typhoon to pass

Well, the typhoon is now over Kyushu and part of Shikoku, it is estimated to pass over Osaka either tonight or tomorrow. In the meantime, we have been having rain off and on during the day. (Can you believe that Satoshi had to go to work?)

Anyway, I saw the recipe for this pupu (appetizer in Hawaiian) in Gourmet Magazine's January issue. I also saw it being served here. (I think it may be a trendy thing in Hawaii now)...stir fried soybeans with garlic and chile.

Another easy dish to make and really good with BEER!

Stir Fried Soybeans with Garlic & Chile
from Gourmet January 2007--adapted from Pineapple Room

1 lb. soybean (frozen in shell)
2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
2 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoon minced, peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoon minced garlic

Cook soybeans in 5-6 quart pot of unsalted water for 5 minutes then drain in colander.

Stir together soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and red pepper flakes in a bowl.

Heat wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates immediately.

Add vegetable oil, swirling to coat wok. Add ginger & garlic and stir fry until fragrant (about 15 seconds). Add soybeans, stir fry until lightly charred (about 2-3 minutes).

Add soy sauce mixture and stir fry until soybeans are coated and most of liquid has evaporated (about 1 minute).

Enjoy!

I had this appetizer for dinner along with shogayaki donburi (pork ginger bowls) topped with okra and green onions and of course...BEER!

NOTES: I used fresh soybeans for this recipe. The flavor of the sauce is very addicting and leaves a little sting on your lips after you have eaten a few.

shogayaki

There is always a good side and bad side to things.

The bad part of Spring...the awful dust cloud generated from China. It is called kosa and means yellow sand. It kind of looks like fog, but really kind of looks like a really bad case of pollution. Can you believe we are breathing this stuff now? Blah! Don't hang your laundry outside!!

The good part of Spring...all of the Spring crops are being brought into the markets. You can tell which products they are because the word shin (new) in front of everything.

Veggies like yellow or white onions are quite tender and sweet--great for roasting. Ginger is so tender, you could probably eat it raw and not twinge from the spicy bite. The outside of the ginger is white and needs no peeling at all.

So, what better way to use fresh ginger than for shogayaki (pork ginger). I have made this tons of times during the year, with one instance documented here. It is very easy, just marinate the pork overnight and cook the next day.

Most ginger that you find in the markets overseas have a brownish skin that can sometimes be a bit tough. But, DON'T take a knife to it! Use a spoon, yes, you read right, use a spoon. A spoon will "gingerly" scrape the skin off and there will be no waste of your precious ginger. I can't tell you how many times I have rolled my eyes at how wasteful some chefs on the Food Network were using their knives, hacking away at the ginger, ending up with little nubs...sigh!

So, now you've cooked your dishes and you have leftover ginger, what to do? Just cut it into little chunks and freeze it with the skins on. Then, just take it out before cooking and use your spoon to scrape off the skin...ginger all year round!