Pork Chap (Japanese Ketchup Pork)
ポークチャップ · Pōku Chappu
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Pork chap is a Japanese-style Western dish (yoshoku): the name comes from "pork chop," but in Japan it means pork sautéed with onion in a sweet, tangy ketchup sauce. The familiar ketchup flavor is a big hit with children, and the softened onion adds gentle sweetness, so even picky eaters tend to clean their plates. Rubbing a little flour into the pork before cooking keeps it tender and helps the sauce cling to every piece. Serve it over rice or alongside vegetables for a satisfying lunch.
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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
- 60 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.
- 30 gonion
Seasonings
- 3 gflour
- 1.5 gvegetable oil
- 4.1 gketchup
- 1.5 gchuno sauce (Japanese medium-thick brown sauce)A sweet, tangy, fruit-and-vegetable-based brown sauce that sits between thin Worcestershire and thick tonkatsu sauce. Substitute: Tonkatsu sauce, or Worcestershire sauce mixed with a little ketchup.
- 0.3 gconsommé bouillon (granules or cube)Japanese-style Western soup stock powder or cubes, similar to chicken or vegetable bouillon. Substitute: Chicken or vegetable bouillon granules or a bouillon cube.
- 0.3 gsugar
- 0.5 gvinegar
- 0.3 gsoy sauce
- 0.3 ggarlic paste (tube)Grated garlic sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh garlic for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated garlic in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- 0 gsalt
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.
- chuno sauce (Japanese medium-thick brown sauce) (中濃ソース)
- A sweet, tangy, fruit-and-vegetable-based brown sauce that sits between thin Worcestershire and thick tonkatsu sauce. Substitute: Tonkatsu sauce, or Worcestershire sauce mixed with a little ketchup.
- consommé bouillon (granules or cube) (コンソメ)
- Japanese-style Western soup stock powder or cubes, similar to chicken or vegetable bouillon. Substitute: Chicken or vegetable bouillon granules or a bouillon cube.
- garlic paste (tube) (にんにくチューブ)
- Grated garlic sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh garlic for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated garlic in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
Directions
- 1
Cut the pork into 1 to 2 cm wide pieces and rub the flour into it. Halve the onion, then cut it into thin half-length slices.
- 2
Put the onion in a bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and microwave at 1200W for about 2 minutes.
- 3
Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion, and sauté over low heat for about 5 minutes. (You can also add a little water and steam-cook the onion instead; if you do, cook off the liquid completely before adding the pork in the next step.)
- 4
Add the pork and sauté until cooked through, then add all the seasonings and stir to bring the flavors together.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 144 kcal | 288 kcal | 144 kcal |
| Protein | 12.9 g | 25.8 g | 12.9 g |
| Fat | 7.7 g | 15.3 g | 7.7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7.1 g | 14.1 g | 7.1 g |
| Fiber | 0.6 g | 1.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.5 g | 0.9 g | 0.5 g |
| Calcium | 9 mg | 18 mg | 9 mg |
| Iron | 0.6 mg | 1.2 mg | 0.6 mg |
| Potassium | 279 mg | 558 mg | 279 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 144 kcal | 12.9 g | 7.7 g | 7.1 g | 0.6 g | 0.5 g | 9 mg | 0.6 mg | 279 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 288 kcal | 25.8 g | 15.3 g | 14.1 g | 1.2 g | 0.9 g | 18 mg | 1.2 mg | 558 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.
