Pork Komiyaki (Soy-Ginger Baked Pork)
豚肉の香味焼き · Butaniku no Komiyaki
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Komiyaki means "aromatic grilled" - here, thinly sliced pork is soaked in a marinade of soy sauce, mirin, ginger, garlic and finely chopped green onion, then baked until fragrant and finished with a scattering of white sesame seeds. A light dusting of flour before marinating helps the sauce cling to the meat, so every bite tastes seasoned without being salty. Baking the pork on a tray in a toaster oven or regular oven means no standing at the stove, which is how we handle it in the preschool kitchen too. The gentle ginger-garlic flavor is mild enough for toddlers and still satisfying for grown-ups.
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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
- 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.
- 8.1 ggreen onion (naga negi)Japanese long onion, thicker and milder than Western scallions. Substitute: Scallions or the white part of a leek.
Seasonings
- 3.8 gflour
- 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.
- green onion (naga negi) (ねぎ)
- Japanese long onion, thicker and milder than Western scallions. Substitute: Scallions or the white part of a leek.
- 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 to 2 cm wide strips and dust with the flour. Combine the finely chopped green onion, soy sauce, mirin, ginger paste and garlic paste to make a marinade, and soak the pork in it.
- 2
Brush a baking tray with the sesame oil, then spread the pork from step 1 over it in a single layer.
- 3
Sprinkle with the white sesame seeds and bake in a toaster oven (or an oven preheated to 200°C / 400°F) for about 15 minutes.
- 4
Once baked, pull the pork apart into smaller pieces for 1- and 2-year-olds, since the meat is hard for them to bite through.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 153 kcal | 306 kcal | 153 kcal |
| Protein | 14.6 g | 29.1 g | 14.6 g |
| Fat | 8.9 g | 17.7 g | 8.9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 4.4 g | 8.7 g | 4.4 g |
| Fiber | 0.5 g | 0.9 g | 0.5 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.3 g | 0.6 g | 0.3 g |
| Calcium | 16.5 mg | 33 mg | 16.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.5 mg | 0.9 mg | 0.5 mg |
| Potassium | 270 mg | 540 mg | 270 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 153 kcal | 14.6 g | 8.9 g | 4.4 g | 0.5 g | 0.3 g | 16.5 mg | 0.5 mg | 270 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 306 kcal | 29.1 g | 17.7 g | 8.7 g | 0.9 g | 0.6 g | 33 mg | 0.9 mg | 540 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.
