This is an easy recipe from a weird Japanese cookbook a friend gave me called Encyclopedia of 365 Days of Meals, which is a collection of quick and easy Japanese main dishes and side dishes. It’s a weird book because it’s so clinical, with only the basic recipes given, and no commentary at all.
Anyway, this is a quick and easy dish. I do think that it may be better if the pork were baked because grilling it sears off all of the miso, and partially, some of the flavor.
A note about sansho pepper: these peppers are from Japan, and they differ from Szechuan peppers in the sansho has a marked citrus flavor and green color to it. It’s not spicy, per se, but applied directly to your tongue, it does have an interesting numbing effect.
What you’ll need
- 4 boneless porkchops or thick raw slices of pork tenderloin (cut with the grain)
- 3T miso
- 2T granulated sugar
- 1T sesame oil
- 1.5t mirin
- 0.5t sansho (Japanese pepper)
What to do
Make the marinade by mixing in a small bowl all of the ingredients except for the meat.
Marinade the sliced pork in the miso mixture for up to 15 minutes. While the meat is marinating, prepare a grill or grill pan by oiling the grates and heating it to cooking temperature. Note that in a pinch a plain heavy-bottom frypan could work for cooking this dish, too.
Leaving all of the miso marinade on the meat, grill the slices over a very hot grill for a few minutes on each side, until cooked through.
Serve with plain rice and greens.
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