Veggie-Packed Pork Rice Bowl (Elementary School Portion)
野菜たっぷり豚丼 · Yasai Tappuri Butadon
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese elementary school lunch menu
Butadon is a Japanese rice bowl of thinly sliced pork simmered in a sweet-savory soy sauce, and this school lunch version works in plenty of vegetables alongside the meat. The pork is rubbed with ginger and sake, then dusted with flour so it stays tender and the sauce clings to every bite. Carrot, onion, and komatsuna are cut small enough to cook down soft and blend right in, so even kids who are wary of greens tend to eat the whole bowl.
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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 elementary school, 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.
- 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.
- 15 gcarrot
- 30 gonion
- 22.5 gkomatsunaA mild Japanese leafy green (Japanese mustard spinach) with tender stems. Substitute: Spinach or bok choy.
Seasonings
- 0.3 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.
- 2 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.
- 3 gflour
- 3 gvegetable oil
- 60 mldashi stockJapanese soup stock, usually made from kombu (dried kelp) and/or bonito flakes; the base of most Japanese soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a mild unsalted chicken or vegetable stock.
- 0.9 gsugar
- 1.2 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.
- 3.5 gsoy sauce
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- komatsuna (こまつな)
- A mild Japanese leafy green (Japanese mustard spinach) with tender stems. Substitute: Spinach or bok choy.
- dashi stock (だし汁)
- Japanese soup stock, usually made from kombu (dried kelp) and/or bonito flakes; the base of most Japanese soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a mild unsalted chicken or vegetable stock.
- 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.
Directions
- 1
Cut the pork into 1 cm wide strips and rub in the ginger and sake. Then rub in the flour.
- 2
Cut the carrot into short, thin matchsticks, slice the onion thinly and cut the slices in half, and cut the komatsuna into 2 cm pieces.
- 3
Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the carrot and onion, and stir-fry until softened. Add the pork and komatsuna and stir-fry a little longer.
- 4
Add the dashi stock, sugar, and mirin and simmer until everything is tender. Add the soy sauce and simmer until only a little liquid remains. Spoon over cooked rice.
If the topping is too soupy, the rice falls apart in the mouth and is hard for children to eat, so finish cooking with just a little of the sauce left in the pan.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 427.5 kcal | 855 kcal | 427.5 kcal |
| Protein | 18.5 g | 36.9 g | 18.5 g |
| Fat | 9.9 g | 19.8 g | 9.9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 67.1 g | 134.1 g | 67.1 g |
| Fiber | 2 g | 3.9 g | 2 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.5 g | 0.9 g | 0.5 g |
| Calcium | 58.5 mg | 117 mg | 58.5 mg |
| Iron | 1.8 mg | 3.6 mg | 1.8 mg |
| Potassium | 534 mg | 1068 mg | 534 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 427.5 kcal | 18.5 g | 9.9 g | 67.1 g | 2 g | 0.5 g | 58.5 mg | 1.8 mg | 534 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 855 kcal | 36.9 g | 19.8 g | 134.1 g | 3.9 g | 0.9 g | 117 mg | 3.6 mg | 1068 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.
