Shoga Yaki

Ingredients

Instructions

1. 1

   Slice the spring onion, grate the ginger, and separate the pork belly slices so they cook quickly and evenly. In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, mirin, sake, sesame oil, sugar, and half of the grated ginger until the sugar dissolves.

2. 2

   Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the neutral oil, then lay in the pork belly in a single layer. Fry for 2-3 minutes, turning once, until the fat starts to render and the edges lightly brown. Cook in batches if needed rather than overcrowding the pan.

3. 3

   Add the remaining grated ginger to the pan and stir for about 10 seconds until fragrant. Pour in the sauce mixture and cook for 1-2 minutes, turning the pork to coat, until the sauce becomes glossy and slightly reduced. The pork should be fully cooked and the sauce should cling lightly rather than pool thinly in the pan.

4. 4

   Transfer to plates, spoon over any remaining sauce, and scatter with the sliced spring onion. Serve immediately, ideally with steamed rice and a crisp cabbage salad.

Nutrition per serving

Notes

• •If your pork belly is cut thick, stretch the timing by 1-2 minutes so the fat renders properly; very thin shabu-shabu style slices cook in well under 2 minutes.
• •For a less rich classic version, you can substitute thinly sliced pork loin for part or all of the belly.
• •Keep the heat fairly high once the sauce goes in so it reduces quickly and stays shiny instead of simmering into a salty broth.

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