Stamina Don (Pork Rice Bowl) (Elementary School Portion)
スタミナ丼 · Sutamina Don
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese elementary school lunch menu
Stamina don is a hearty Japanese rice bowl: thinly sliced pork and plenty of vegetables stir-fried with garlic and ginger, then coated in a lightly thickened miso sauce and spooned over warm rice. In Japan, "stamina" dishes are the garlicky, savory meals you reach for when you need energy, and this school-lunch version keeps that comforting flavor while going easy on the heat so children clean their bowls. The vegetables are softened in the microwave first, so they cook through quickly and the sauce has just the right amount of cling to the rice. Per the nutritionist's record it is made without egg or milk, and the memo below shows how to adapt it for toddlers.
Toddlers to adults. Portion out the children's share before the final seasoning, then season the rest for adults.
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
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 elementary school, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 75 gonion
- 30 gcarrot
- 15 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.
- 105 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.
- 3 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.
- 4.5 gsoy sauce
- 2.3 gsesame oil
- 1.5 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 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.
Sauce Mixture (A)
- 7.5 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.
- 2.3 gsugar
- 2.3 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.
- 7.5 gwater
- 0.8 gdoubanjiang (Chinese chili bean paste)A salty, spicy Sichuan paste of fermented broad beans and chilies; use a very small amount for children. Substitute: Gochujang, or a little miso mixed with a few drops of chili sauce. Many gochujang brands contain wheat, and some doubanjiang and miso do too, so check the labels if you avoid wheat.
To Finish
- 0.9 cup (rice bowl)warm cooked rice
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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/
- doubanjiang (Chinese chili bean paste) (豆板醤)
- A salty, spicy Sichuan paste of fermented broad beans and chilies; use a very small amount for children. Substitute: Gochujang, or a little miso mixed with a few drops of chili sauce. Many gochujang brands contain wheat, and some doubanjiang and miso do too, so check the labels if you avoid wheat.
Directions
Video is in Japanese — the steps below are synced to it, so tap ▶ on a step to jump to that moment.
- 1
Thinly slice the onion and cut the carrot into short, thin rectangular strips. Put them in a heatproof bowl, add 1 tbsp of water (not included in the ingredient amounts) and toss. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, leaving a gap for steam to escape, and microwave at 1200W for about 2 minutes 30 seconds (5 minutes at 600W). If you are doubling the recipe, microwave at 1200W for about 4 to 5 minutes (8 to 10 minutes at 600W). The time changes with the amount, so check and adjust as you go.
- 2
Cut the garlic chives into 2 cm lengths. Cut the pork into 5 cm pieces and rub in the sake, then the soy sauce, in that order.
- 3
Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan and stir-fry the carrot, onion and garlic chives over medium heat for about 5 minutes (the cooking after this is short, so cook the vegetables to your preferred softness at this stage).
- 4
Add the pork, garlic paste and ginger paste, turn the heat to low, and stir-fry for about 2 minutes until the pork changes color.
- 5
Combine the ingredients for A, add to the pan, and stir-fry for about 1 minute until the sauce thickens. Serve over warm cooked rice.
Toddler Adaptation
- In step 2, use only about 70% of the soy sauce when rubbing it into the pork.
- After step 4, add about 70% of the combined miso and sugar plus all of the potato starch dissolved in the water, and stir-fry for about 1 minute until thickened, then set aside the toddler portion. For toddlers, snip the pork and vegetables into easy-to-eat pieces with kitchen scissors.
- To the remaining mixture, add the rest of the miso and sugar, the remaining soy sauce and the doubanjiang, and stir-fry for about 1 more minute, tasting as you go.
How to Freeze
Let it cool, then layer the rice and the topping, in that order, in a heatproof container, put on the lid and freeze. To eat, slide the lid slightly open and microwave at 1200W for about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes (4 to 5 minutes at 600W); if it is not hot all the way through, heat in additional 30-second bursts.
To freeze the topping only, spread it flat in a freezer bag and freeze. To eat, transfer to a heatproof container, cover with plastic wrap, microwave at 1200W for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes (2 to 3 minutes at 600W), and spoon over rice.
Keeps for about 2 weeks (enjoy as soon as possible).
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 277.5 kcal | 555 kcal | 277.5 kcal |
| Protein | 24 g | 48 g | 24 g |
| Fat | 13.5 g | 27 g | 13.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 16.7 g | 33.3 g | 16.7 g |
| Fiber | 2.8 g | 5.7 g | 2.8 g |
| Salt equivalent | 1.8 g | 3.6 g | 1.8 g |
| Calcium | 43.5 mg | 87 mg | 43.5 mg |
| Iron | 1.7 mg | 3.3 mg | 1.7 mg |
| Potassium | 703.5 mg | 1407 mg | 703.5 mg |
| Phosphorus | 270 mg | 540 mg | 270 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | Phosphorus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 277.5 kcal | 24 g | 13.5 g | 16.7 g | 2.8 g | 1.8 g | 43.5 mg | 1.7 mg | 703.5 mg | 270 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 555 kcal | 48 g | 27 g | 33.3 g | 5.7 g | 3.6 g | 87 mg | 3.3 mg | 1407 mg | 540 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese elementary-school 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.
