Pork Komiyaki (Ginger-Garlic Roasted Pork)
豚肉の香味焼き（小麦なし） · Butaniku no Komiyaki
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Komiyaki simply means something cooked with aromatics, and here that means thin slices of pork massaged in soy sauce, mirin, ginger and garlic, then baked in the oven with a scattering of sesame seeds. Instead of wheat flour, the pork is coated with joshinko, a Japanese rice flour, which holds the marinade onto the meat. The dish is made without egg or milk, and with no wheat flour. Baking on a tray rather than pan-frying is how we handle big batches in the preschool kitchen, and at home it means no standing at the stove. The savory-sweet flavor is gentle enough for little ones, and the pork comes out tender in bite-size pieces.
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.
Printing uses the number of adults and children set under Ingredients, so set those first.
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
- 67.5 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.
Seasonings
- 3.8 gjoshinko (Japanese non-glutinous rice flour)Fine flour milled from regular short-grain rice, used for chewy Japanese sweets like dango. Substitute: Plain rice flour (not glutinous/sweet rice flour).
- 2.3 gsoy sauce
- 0.9 gmirinMirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
- 0.2 gginger paste (tube)Grated ginger sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh ginger 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 ginger in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- 0.2 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.
- 0.8 gwhite sesame seeds
- 1.5 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.
- joshinko (Japanese non-glutinous rice flour) (上新粉)
- Fine flour milled from regular short-grain rice, used for chewy Japanese sweets like dango. Substitute: Plain rice flour (not glutinous/sweet rice flour).
- mirin (みりん)
- Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
- ginger paste (tube) (しょうがチューブ)
- Grated ginger sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh ginger 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 ginger in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- 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 1-2 cm wide strips. Combine the soy sauce, mirin, ginger and garlic to make a marinade, add the pork and rub it in well with your hands. Then rub in the joshinko (rice flour) to coat.
- 2
Brush a baking tray with sesame oil, place the pork on it and spread it out in a single layer.
- 3
Sprinkle with the white sesame seeds and bake in an oven preheated to 200°C (400°F) for about 15 minutes.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 150 kcal | 300 kcal | 150 kcal |
| Protein | 14.4 g | 28.8 g | 14.4 g |
| Fat | 8.9 g | 17.7 g | 8.9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 3.9 g | 7.8 g | 3.9 g |
| Fiber | 0.2 g | 0.3 g | 0.2 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.3 g | 0.6 g | 0.3 g |
| Calcium | 12 mg | 24 mg | 12 mg |
| Iron | 0.5 mg | 0.9 mg | 0.5 mg |
| Potassium | 252 mg | 504 mg | 252 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 150 kcal | 14.4 g | 8.9 g | 3.9 g | 0.2 g | 0.3 g | 12 mg | 0.5 mg | 252 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 300 kcal | 28.8 g | 17.7 g | 7.8 g | 0.3 g | 0.6 g | 24 mg | 0.9 mg | 504 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.
