Chinjao Rosu (Japanese Pepper and Pork Stir-Fry)
チンジャオロース · Chinjao Rosu
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Chinjao rosu is the Japanese take on the Chinese stir-fry qingjiao rousi: thin strips of meat and green bell pepper tossed in a savory, glossy sauce. It is a staple of home-style Chinese cooking in Japan and a regular on school lunch menus. This preschool version swaps the usual bamboo shoots for potato, which is easier to find and gives the dish a gentle, familiar sweetness that helps little ones warm up to the green peppers. Everything is cut into slim matchsticks so it is easy to pick up and chew.
Wheat-free, but uses soy sauce (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow it, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
Added. Open the recipe helper (bottom right) → ☰ Menu → 🛒 Shopping list to see the ingredients for your family size.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 45 gthinly sliced pork (komagire)Small, thin offcuts of pork sold in Japan for quick stir-fries and simmered dishes. Substitute: Thinly sliced pork shoulder or loin cut into bite-size pieces.
- 15 gpotato
- 15 gcarrot
- 15 ggreen bell pepper
Seasonings
- 0.2 gsalt
- 1.5 gsakeSake (Japanese rice wine) is used in small amounts to soften the smell of fish and meat and add depth. Japanese "cooking sake" often contains added salt. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: The same amount of water (the taste will be a little simpler), or dry white wine.
- 1.8 gpotato starch (katakuriko)Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness.
- 1.5 gvegetable oil
- 0.9 gsugar
- 1.4 gsoy sauce
- 0.3 gsalt (to finish)
- 0.8 gsesame oil
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- thinly sliced pork (komagire) (豚こま切れ肉)
- Small, thin offcuts of pork sold in Japan for quick stir-fries and simmered dishes. Substitute: Thinly sliced pork shoulder or loin cut into bite-size pieces.
- sake (酒)
- Sake (Japanese rice wine) is used in small amounts to soften the smell of fish and meat and add depth. Japanese "cooking sake" often contains added salt. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: The same amount of water (the taste will be a little simpler), or dry white wine.
- potato starch (katakuriko) (かたくり粉)
- Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness. Read the guide: Katakuriko (Japanese Potato Starch) and What to Use Instead → Guide: japanese-school-lunch.com/articles/katakuriko-potato-starch/
Directions
Video is in Japanese and may show a different version of this dish (other ingredients or steps). Follow the ingredients and steps on this page, especially when cooking for allergies.
- 1
Cut the pork into thin strips about 1 cm wide and rub in the salt and sake. Then rub in the potato starch.
- 2
Cut the potato, carrot, and green bell pepper into thin matchsticks about 4 cm long.
- 3
Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan, add the vegetables from step 2, and stir-fry over medium heat for about 7 minutes. Add the pork and stir-fry over low heat for about 3 minutes.
- 4
Drizzle in the sugar, soy sauce, salt, and sesame oil, and give everything a quick toss to coat.
Instead of bamboo shoots, this version uses potato, which is much easier to find. It is also delicious made with beef in place of the pork.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 126 kcal | 252 kcal | 126 kcal |
| Protein | 10.1 g | 20.1 g | 10.1 g |
| Fat | 6.9 g | 13.8 g | 6.9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7.4 g | 14.7 g | 7.4 g |
| Fiber | 2.1 g | 4.2 g | 2.1 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.6 g | 1.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Calcium | 7.5 mg | 15 mg | 7.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.3 mg | 0.6 mg | 0.3 mg |
| Potassium | 298.5 mg | 597 mg | 298.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 126 kcal | 10.1 g | 6.9 g | 7.4 g | 2.1 g | 0.6 g | 7.5 mg | 0.3 mg | 298.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 252 kcal | 20.1 g | 13.8 g | 14.7 g | 4.2 g | 1.2 g | 15 mg | 0.6 mg | 597 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
