Pork shogayaki is a Japanese home-style dish of tender pork coated in a savory-sweet sauce made with fresh ginger, soy sauce, mirin, and sake. It cooks quickly in a skillet and is traditionally served with rice and crisp shredded cabbage; the exact balance of sweetness and ginger varies by cook and region.
Ingredients
- 1½ lb (680 g) boneless pork loin, cut into strips about ½ inch (1.3 cm) thick
- ¼ tsp (1.5 g) fine salt
- ⅛ tsp (0.3 g) black pepper
- 2 tbsp (16 g) all-purpose flour, optional, for a light coating
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) neutral cooking oil, such as canola
- 1 medium yellow onion (about 150 g), thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp (30 g) freshly grated ginger
- 1 garlic clove (about 3 g), finely grated or minced
- ¼ cup (60 ml) Japanese soy sauce
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) mirin
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) sake
- 1 tbsp (12 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) water
- 4 cups (600 g) warm cooked short-grain rice
- 2 cups (140 g) finely shredded cabbage
- 2 scallions (about 20 g), thinly sliced, for serving
- 1 tsp (3 g) toasted sesame seeds, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the pork and vegetables. Pat the pork dry so it browns rather than steams. If the strips are long, cut them into pieces about 3 inches (7.5 cm) long for easier handling. Season both sides with the salt and pepper. If using flour, sprinkle it over the pork and toss lightly to coat; shake off any excess. Slice the onion, shred the cabbage, and slice the scallions. Keep the cabbage chilled while you cook.
- Mix the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, water, grated ginger, and garlic. Stir until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Mixing the sauce before the pan gets hot helps prevent the sugar from scorching while you measure ingredients. Set the bowl beside the stove.
- Soften the onion. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onion and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often, until it begins to soften and take on a little color. Transfer it to a plate. Leaving it out of the pan temporarily makes room to brown the pork instead of crowding it.
- Brown the pork in batches. Arrange half the pork in a single layer in the hot skillet. Cook for about 2 minutes on the first side and 2 minutes on the second, adjusting the heat if the pan begins to smoke. Transfer the pieces to the plate with the onion and repeat with the remaining pork. Avoid piling the meat into the skillet: crowded strips release moisture and can turn pale before they brown. Insert a food thermometer sideways into the thickest piece. USDA FSIS lists 145°F (63°C), followed by a 3-minute rest, as the safe minimum for whole cuts of pork.
- Finish the sauce. Return the pork and onion to the skillet. Pour in the sauce and stir gently to coat every piece. Bring it to a lively simmer, then cook for about 1 minute, turning the pork once, until the sauce looks glossy and lightly clings to the meat. If the sauce reduces too quickly, add a tablespoon of water. If it seems thin, let it simmer briefly; the optional flour coating also helps it cling.
- Rest and serve. Remove the skillet from the heat and let the pork rest for 3 minutes. Arrange warm rice and shredded cabbage on four plates, then spoon the pork, onion, and sauce alongside or over the rice. Scatter with scallions and sesame seeds if desired, and serve while hot.
Tips
- Cut evenly and check the temperature. Similar-size strips cook at a similar rate. The thermometer check matters more than the clock, especially if some pieces are thicker. Insert it into the thickest piece from the side; very thin strips can be difficult to measure, so use consistently sized pieces and check a thick one. Allow the full 3-minute rest after the pork reaches 145°F (63°C).
- Keep the pan uncrowded. A large skillet is useful, but two batches are more dependable than squeezing all the pork in at once. If the pan is small, work in three batches and keep cooked pieces loosely covered while you finish. Too much meat at once lowers the pan temperature and produces watery, less-browned pork.
- Use fresh ginger if you can. Freshly grated ginger gives shogayaki its bright, warm aroma. In a pinch, use 1 teaspoon (2 g) ground ginger instead of 2 tablespoons fresh; it tastes more earthy and less lively, so start there and adjust to your preference. A small hand grater makes it easy to grate ginger directly into the sauce.
- Adjust the pantry ingredients thoughtfully. Mirin is sweet Japanese rice wine, and sake is Japanese rice wine used here for depth. If you cannot find sake, replace it with the same amount of water. If mirin is unavailable, use 2 tablespoons (30 ml) water plus 1 teaspoon (4 g) extra sugar; the sauce will be less fragrant and rounded. Regular soy sauce works; reduced-sodium soy sauce makes a milder, less salty result.
Serving Suggestions
Warm short-grain rice is the classic partner: its soft, slightly sticky texture catches the ginger-soy sauce. Keep the cabbage separate until serving so it stays crisp, or add a small pile of thinly sliced cucumber for another cool, fresh contrast. A bowl of miso soup, steamed broccoli, or quickly blanched green beans makes a simple meal without competing with the pork’s strong ginger flavor.
For a lunch-box-style meal, arrange the rice, pork, and cabbage in separate sections and pack any extra sauce in a small container. Let the food stop steaming before closing the container, then refrigerate it promptly; do not leave cooked pork at room temperature for more than 2 hours. For a less formal dinner, serve the pork family-style from the skillet and let everyone add scallions or sesame seeds at the table.
Variations
Use another cut: Thin boneless pork loin chops are a convenient choice and can be cut into strips. Pork tenderloin also works; slice it across the grain into even pieces. Avoid very lean pieces cooked for too long, since they can become dry. Whatever cut you choose, follow the thermometer and rest guidance for whole cuts of pork.
Make it sweeter or sharper: For a sweeter, more mellow sauce, increase the sugar to 1½ tablespoons (18 g). For a sharper ginger finish, add another teaspoon of freshly grated ginger near the end of cooking. A teaspoon of rice vinegar can brighten the sauce, though it is not necessary for the usual savory-sweet profile.
Add vegetables: Sliced mushrooms or bell pepper can be cooked with the onion. Keep the amount modest—about 1 cup (75 g) sliced mushrooms or ½ bell pepper (75 g)—so the pan does not become crowded. Cook them until their released moisture has mostly evaporated before returning the pork.
Make it without alcohol: Replace the sake with water and the mirin with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) water plus 1 teaspoon (4 g) sugar. This practical swap keeps the sauce balanced, but it will be less complex and aromatic than a version made with mirin and sake. Check the labels of packaged seasonings if avoiding alcohol is important to you.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate leftover pork and sauce within 2 hours of cooking, in a shallow airtight container. It keeps for 3–4 days in the refrigerator. Store the cabbage separately if possible so it does not wilt in the sauce. Cooked rice should also be cooled and refrigerated promptly; keep it in its own covered container rather than leaving it on the counter.
For best results, reheat the pork gently in a covered skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of water, stirring occasionally until steaming hot throughout. You can also microwave a portion in a covered microwave-safe dish, stirring halfway through so it heats evenly. USDA FSIS recommends reheating leftovers to 165°F (74°C); check the center with a food thermometer. Reheated cabbage will be softer, so add fresh cabbage at serving if you want a crisp side. Freeze the pork and sauce in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months for best quality, then thaw in the refrigerator before reheating. Freezing the fresh cabbage is not recommended because it loses its crisp texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does shogayaki mean?
Shogayaki refers to a Japanese ginger-cooked preparation, often made with pork. The name is associated with shoga, meaning ginger, and yaki, meaning grilled or cooked. In everyday home cooking, the pork is commonly pan-cooked and finished in a ginger-seasoned sauce.
Can I marinate the pork ahead of time?
You can prepare the sauce and slice the onion ahead, but a long marinade is not needed for this quick-cooking dish. The sauce is concentrated and contains soy sauce, so leaving thin pork strips in it for hours can make their surface overly salty. For easier preparation, refrigerate the mixed sauce and sliced vegetables separately, then cook the pork just before serving.
Why did my pork turn out tough?
Common causes are cutting the pork too thin, cooking it in a crowded pan, or leaving it over heat while the sauce reduces. Cut evenly, brown in batches, and use a thermometer rather than extending the cooking time automatically. Once the pork reaches 145°F (63°C), let it rest for 3 minutes; the short rest is part of the safe-minimum guidance for whole cuts.
Can I make this with chicken?
Yes, but chicken has a different safe minimum temperature and may need a different cooking time depending on the cut and thickness. Cook poultry to 165°F (74°C), checked with a food thermometer, before finishing it in the sauce. Boneless chicken thighs are forgiving, while chicken breast benefits from evenly sized pieces and careful monitoring.
Is pork shogayaki spicy?
Fresh ginger gives it a warm, peppery bite, but it is not usually chili-hot. The amount here makes ginger clearly noticeable without overwhelming the soy and mirin. For a gentler flavor, reduce the ginger to 1½ tablespoons (about 22 g); for more heat, grate in an additional teaspoon just before adding the sauce.
Can I make the recipe gluten-free?
Use a certified gluten-free soy sauce or tamari, and confirm that the mirin and sake labels meet your needs. If using the optional flour, replace it with an equal amount of cornstarch or omit it; the sauce will still coat the pork, though it may be a little thinner. Check every packaged ingredient because formulations can differ.
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Safety notes: safe minimum internal temperatures from USDA FSIS; raw and undercooked fish guidance from the U.S. FDA. Food safety notes
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