Ginger Pork

One of my favorite things to eat now one of my favorite dishes to make. If you are ever traveling to Japan and end up at a Japanese diner, feel free to ask for "shogayaki". This dish is extremely comforting and filling. It goes great with a hot bowl of steamy white rice which is what I needed when I worked at an Izakaya. This was a meal that filled me up quick to get me through a nights service or something to fill my empty stomach after a night of hard work.

Recipe is extremely simple. The only real trick is how much grated ginger to put. I love a lot of ginger where it's prominent, but I know a lot of it can scare of people.

Regardless, this is how I made it.

• 1.5 pounds of pork (recommend thin sliced pork belly or thin sliced pork butt).
• 1 medium onion sliced (I used yellow)
• 1/2 of a cabbage, thinly sliced.
• Kewpie mayonnaise (optional, but imperative for me)
• 4 tablespoons Mirin
• 2 tablespoons Kikkoman soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 tablespoons grated ginger

The onions are slightly sweated on medium high before putting in the pork belly. The pork belly is seasoned ever so lightly with salt and pepper. Once the pork is cooked through before browning, pour in the ginger sauce and mix the ingredients until coated.

Grab a bowl and scoop some hot white rice, topped with the raw cabbage slices, then the hot ginger pork. Drizzle with Kewpie mayonnaise and a dash of sesame seeds.

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Salted Kits

Salted Kits are designed to make cooking at home as easy, stress-free, and delicious as possible. I am the worst when it comes to portion control because I have none. When I cook, it always looks like I'm cooking for 6. Since all the measuring is done, it means less waste and definitely less time grabbing the ingredients I need from the store. 

With each kit, you'll get everything you need to cook a meal that's as incredible as one served at a top restaurant. Each kit serves 2 generous portions. I had coffee ribs YEARS ago in San Francisco, so when I saw the kits available, I had to try their coffee-crusted skirt steak. The kits are portioned, but you just need to grab the protein (in this case skirt steak). 

After removing the ingredients from the box, you will find the simple instructions at the bottom. There's also a link to a video tutorial on the box to make this dummy proof.

Instructions

Serves 2, Prep and Cook Time: 30 minutes

Before cooking, pre-heat oven to 500 degrees and wash potatoes.

1. Slice potatoes in half, length-wise (or into quarters, for larger potatoes). Combine with 1 tablespoon of oil, rosemary, and a pinch of salt & pepper in a bowl. Transfer potatoes onto baking sheet and cook in oven until crispy, 15-20 minutes.
Tip: We suggest letting the potatoes cook for 5 minutes before moving onto the next step, so they’ll be ready when your steak is ready.

2. In a new bowl, combine coffee and brown sugar with cinnamon ginger spice blend.

3. Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon of oil over steak and massage the spice mixture into it. Heat a steel or cast iron pan on high. Put 1 tablespoon of oil in the hot pan and cook steak until charred, about 3-4 minutes per side.

4. Set steak aside and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice steak thinly at an angle, then transfer to a plate and serve with potatoes. Cut lime in half and squeeze juice over entire dish. Enjoy!

Skirt steak was extremely marbled. 

Medium rare goodness

See more kits Here.

The kits are now available at Gelson (click here to find a grocery store near you).

Argentinian Shrimp - Compound butter and lime

I found some beautiful Argentinian Shrimp from the seafood market the other day. I was extremely captivated by their size, the colors of the shell (light pink), and their special price for the weekend. Besides the size, they also had their heads attached which is an extra plus. I've never cooked with this shrimp before, so I wanted to keep it simple so I don't overkill the flavors.

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I coated the shrimps with a little olive oil and kosher salt. I had a hot cast iron preheating before dropping these little Argentinians in.

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I let the first side go for 2 minutes before turning them over. I then drop some leftover compound butter that's mixed with minced garlic, parsley, and salt. I give it a few flips so each side is coated, then drop a good freshly squeezed lime into the pan and continue to deglaze.

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Total cook time was around 6 minutes. I wanted the shell to be blistered and crispy from the heat. That was easily achieved with a hot cast iron.

The lime and garlic butter sauce really did wonders. I ate this with a bowl of rice. All the juices and lime flavors went oh-so-perfectly with my rice. It's so easy, but extremely delicious. I'm not sure how often Argentinian shrimps are available, but I found mines at the 99 Ranch market (Chinese Market).

Let me know your thoughts!