Japanese Ginger Fried Pork

Marinate the pork ahead of time and prepare dinner in about ten minutes flat with this Japanese Ginger Fried Pork recipe. Prepare this dish with snow peas and serve over steamed rice for a completely nutritious meal!

The amount of flavour that is packed into this Japanese Ginger Fried Pork is incredible! You will note in the recipe card at the bottom of this post that the suggested marinating time is one hour. That is just a minimum. I like to marinate the pork overnight. In fact, the very pork you see in these photographs was marinated for almost 18 hours.

All that means is that the pork will be more flavourful and certainly more tender. When it comes to the added vegetables, you can choose whatever you prefer. I selected snow peas because I happen to like them and I know you can eat them raw. They are added to the pan just long enough to heat them through.

I would advise you to use only substitute veggies that do not take a long time to cook or heat thoroughly. For example, I would consider broccoli, mushrooms, bean sprouts, asparagus, etc. I would not use veggies like potatoes, carrots, or any other root vegetable that needs extra time to become tender. If you happen to have precooked veggies, you can certainly add those in for the last few minutes of cooking time to reheat them.

SERVE IT WITH RICE

There is something really comforting and homey about an Asian-inspired meat dish paired with rice. Growing up, it was a very common pairing in our home. My mom would often prepare beef or pork recipes and serve them with rice. Sometimes, she would prepare chicken instead of beef, like these Sweet & Sticky Drumsticks. Those too, would be served with rice. As I said, it’s comforting, so my Japanese Ginger Fried Pork is piled onto a bowl of plain white rice.

Of course, you can serve this dish with any rice you prefer. In our home, basmati is a favourite, so I use it quite often. Whenever I don’t have basmati on hand, I always turn to just plain white or plain brown rice. When a dish is as flavourful as this pork, the rice doesn’t need to be seasoned. I just cook the rice in slightly salted water and let the pork do the rest!

When it comes to a recipe like this one, the most important thing is the taste. But, I also like to share recipes that are easy and affordable. This particular recipe has it all. It’s fast too and very family friendly. The leftovers heat up very well too, which makes for a great lunch at work the next day! Overall, it’s a winner!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Pork Butt or Pork Shoulder – You will need two pounds of pork sliced about 1/8th of an inch thick. Remember to slice across the grain!
• Low Sodium Soy Sauce – Use low sodium soy sauce if possible to keep the salt low. If you only have regular soy sauce, use half soy sauce and half water.
• Dark Soy Sauce – This adds flavour and colour.
• Mirin – This is a type of rice wine. You can use white wine if you don’t have mirin.
• Sake – This is a fermented rice wine commonly used in cooking. A great substitute is rice wine vinegar.
• Ginger – Use fresh ginger. I like to use a box grater to grate it so that it’s super fine.
• Oil – Use vegetable or any other non-flavoured oil.
• Sugar Snap Peas (Snow Peas) – About one heaping cup will be enough for 3-4 servings when incorporated into the pork.
• Green Onions – Thinly sliced for garnish.
• Toasted Sesame Seeds – For garnish.

HOW TO MAKE JAPANESE GINGER FRIED PORK

Add the low-sodium soy sauce, dark soy sauce, mirin, sake, ginger, and oil to a shallow bowl. Whisk to combine. Transfer the thinly sliced pork to the marinade and toss to coat well. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for a minimum of one hour. Pork can be left to marinate for 12-18 hours.

When ready to cook, transfer the pork and all of the marinade juices in the bowl to a large skillet which has been preheated over medium-high heat. Cook the pork, turning often, for 5-7 minutes or until the pork starts to brown and caramelize slightly.

In the meantime, wash the peas and pat them dry. When the pork is ready, add the peas to the skillet. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Plate over steamed rice and garnish with thinly sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.

LET’S TALK ABOUT MARINATING

When it comes to marinating meat, some of us think that it’s okay to marinate it all day or even overnight. That might work for some marinades, but not all. Let me explain.

If you’re using a marinade that has acidity in it, then I would not marinate longer than two hours. The acid will react with the enzymes in the meat and actually toughen it. Since this particular marinade has next to no acidity, it’s safer to marinate for a longer period of time.

My favourite marinades for chicken always use buttermilk. Buttermilk helps to make for a more tender chicken dish. The acidity of the buttermilk will break down protein structures in the chicken and helps it to retain moisture a whole lot better. But, my favourite marinade for beef or pork is always prepared with oil. The oil has the unique ability to pull the flavours from the other marinade ingredients and infuse them right into the meat.

Therefore, a marinade consisting of more mellow ingredients, like a mixture of oil, garlic, onion, herbs, etc., would allow for a longer marinating time. For this particular marinade, I would highly recommend you allow the pork to marinate for at least one hour. But, to get the best results, try marinating your pork for 12 hours or overnight.

USE PORK BUTT OR PORK SHOULDER

Pork butt and pork shoulder are both cuts that come from the shoulder. Both are relatively inexpensive cuts that lend themselves to low-and-slow cooking such as barbecuing, braising, stewing, etc. They are also perfect for cooking in appliances such as a slow cooker or an Instant Pot.

Pork butt comes from the thicker section of the shoulder and may include the shoulder blade and upper leg. It’s a semi-tough cut of pork that contains a lot of connective tissue and marbling. It is most often purchased with the fat cap attached. Sometimes, this cut is called Boston butt as well.

The pork shoulder, which can also be labelled as picnic shoulder, comes from the thinner, triangle-shaped end of the shoulder, just above the front leg. It has less marbling and fat than pork butt. Pork shoulder is often sold with the skin on and a layer of fat. You can use either in this recipe even though they are most often used in slow cooking recipes. Let me explain why.

PERFECTLY SLICED PORK

When preparing the meat for this Japanese Ginger Fried Pork recipe, you should have one goal. That goal is simple, but it might seem rather difficult to achieve. I’m going to help you reach that goal with minimal effort. Are you ready?

The goal is to have the most tender, moist, flavourful pork. To get that, you will need to do two things. One of those things is to marinate the pork for at least one hour. That’s not a surprise though, right? Everyone knows that marinated meat is the best. The second thing you will need to do is to slice the pork as thinly as possible. Well, not paper thin, but as close to 1/8th of an inch as you can get it.

If you have ever tried to slice meat very thinly before, you know that it can be frustrating. It’s soft and it moves around when you push your knife into it. It’s no fun at all! What if I told you that I have a secret to getting the most uniform thinly sliced meat without the use of a meat slicer? Well, I do, and I’m going to share that secret with you.

Wrap the pork in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer. Be sure it is laying flat. Allow it to freeze for one hour. Don’t worry, the pork won’t be frozen rock hard. But, it will be firm and when it’s firm, that’s when you want to slice it. It’s so much easier to do and you can get those uniform slices with ease. Cut across the grain. This will make for a more tender pork dish because you will be cutting across the meat fibres and the marbling.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down to follow me and never miss another recipe!