Hoikoro Don (Twice-Cooked Pork Rice Bowl)
ホイコーロー丼 · Hoikoro Don
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Hoikoro is the Japanese take on Sichuan twice-cooked pork (huiguorou): a stir-fry of pork and cabbage in a sweet, savory miso sauce. The Japanese version leans on plenty of cabbage and skips the chili heat, which makes it a natural fit for a children's lunch. Here the pork is lightly dusted with potato starch so it stays tender and the sauce clings to every bite, then the whole thing is spooned over rice so kids can scoop up meat, vegetables and rice together in one spoonful.
Wheat-free, but uses soy sauce and miso (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow them, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
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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
- 75 griceJapanese short-grain white rice (japonica), which cooks up soft and slightly sticky. The amount listed is for uncooked rice. Substitute: Sushi rice, or another short-grain or medium-grain rice such as Calrose.
- 37.5 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.
- 12 gcarrot
- 55.5 gcabbage
- 9 ggreen bell pepper
- 7.5 ggarlic chives (nira)Flat-leaved chives with a mild garlic flavor, sold in bunches at Asian markets. Substitute: Scallion greens with a little minced garlic.
Seasonings
- 1.1 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.
- 3 gsesame oil
- 2.3 gsoy sauce
- 2.6 gmisoFermented soybean paste. Salty and savory, it is Japan's everyday seasoning for miso soup and many simmered dishes. Substitute: Any light (white or awase) miso. Misos differ in saltiness, so start with a little less and taste. Some misos are made with barley or wheat, so check the label if you avoid them.
- 0.8 gsugar
- 1 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.
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- rice (米)
- Japanese short-grain white rice (japonica), which cooks up soft and slightly sticky. The amount listed is for uncooked rice. Substitute: Sushi rice, or another short-grain or medium-grain rice such as Calrose.
- 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.
- 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/
- garlic chives (nira) (にら)
- Flat-leaved chives with a mild garlic flavor, sold in bunches at Asian markets. Substitute: Scallion greens with a little minced garlic.
- miso (みそ)
- Fermented soybean paste. Salty and savory, it is Japan's everyday seasoning for miso soup and many simmered dishes. Substitute: Any light (white or awase) miso. Misos differ in saltiness, so start with a little less and taste. Some misos are made with barley or wheat, so check the label if you avoid them.
- 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.
Directions
- 1
Cut the pork into 1-2 cm wide pieces and coat with the potato starch.
- 2
Cut the carrot into short, thin rectangles (tanzaku), chop the cabbage roughly into 2 cm pieces, cut the green bell pepper into short thin strips, and cut the garlic chives into 2 cm lengths.
- 3
Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan, add the vegetables and stir-fry well. Once the vegetables are tender, add the pork and stir-fry; when the pork is cooked through, add the seasonings and stir-fry to combine.
- 4
Spoon over cooked rice.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 384 kcal | 768 kcal | 384 kcal |
| Protein | 13.8 g | 27.6 g | 13.8 g |
| Fat | 7.8 g | 15.6 g | 7.8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 65.4 g | 130.8 g | 65.4 g |
| Fiber | 2.3 g | 4.5 g | 2.3 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.6 g | 1.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Calcium | 40.5 mg | 81 mg | 40.5 mg |
| Iron | 1.2 mg | 2.4 mg | 1.2 mg |
| Potassium | 414 mg | 828 mg | 414 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 384 kcal | 13.8 g | 7.8 g | 65.4 g | 2.3 g | 0.6 g | 40.5 mg | 1.2 mg | 414 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 768 kcal | 27.6 g | 15.6 g | 130.8 g | 4.5 g | 1.2 g | 81 mg | 2.4 mg | 828 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.
