Japan: Ginger Pork and Spinach Gomae
COOK
Junko
Country
Japan
YIELDS
6 Servings
TOTAL TIME
60 mins
Ingredients
350 g sliced pork meat
10 g ginger root (peeled and grated)
10 g 2 clove garlic
6 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp sugar /maple syrup
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp Japanese cooking sake( if you have any)
2 tbsp flour (or cornstarch)
2 cups sticky white rice "Kokuho Rice"
2 cups water
400 g bunch of baby spinach
1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds (grated)
Cook rice
Follow the instruction to cook rice in a rice cooker. 2 cups of rice with 2 cups of water.
Spinach gomaae
Boil two lt of water in a pot while boiling do step 2
Make your Gomaae which is a common dressing used in our culture. Mix in a small bowl of soy sauce and Sugar or Maple syrup. You might want to add 1 tsp of extra sweet for this dressing. In a separate bowl grate the roasted sesame seeds and then add them to the sauce. mix well.
Wash baby spinach and then add spinach into the pot with boiling water. Move them with a fork or tongs for about 15 seconds and quickly remove them from the pot.
Strain spinach and let cold water get over them for 15 seconds. Squish spinach with your hand to remove excess water and place them into a new bowl.
Once your Gomaae is ready add the baby spinach and mix. keep it in the fridge. This side dish is served cold. note that this might last for about 1 or 2 days but no more.
Ginger Pork
Try to get thin slices of pork. You can ask your local store if they can slice it more for you some stores do that if you ask. If not try to select the thinner ones and with a knife try to make lines over the meat. This will allow cutting the nerves and make the meat softer. Also, you can use a meat tenderizer for making the meat softer. You can decide to cook the whole slice or actually cut it into smaller slices that will look like stir fry meat.
In a separate bowl add soy sauce and sugar/maple syrup, grated clove and grated fresh ginger, and mix well. Add here the meat and marinate with the sauce.
Slice the onion and a clove of garlic and cook in the skillet with some oil until translucent. When it gets that translucent colour put it on a separate plate. We will add them when the meat gets cooked.
On a plate spread flour or cornstarch, we will pass the meat over here before cooking it.
5. In a skillet add some oil and hit on a medium flame then add the slices of meat to be cooked, be careful to not overcook the meat you can use a lid and cover the skillet so it doesn't dry off.
6. When meat gets cooked add the onions previously cooked and mix well.
7. Serve meat, spinach Gomaae and a side of rice. enjoy!