Japanese Butadon Pork Rice Bowl

Ingredients

• 12 oz pork shoulder or belly, very thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups short-grain rice
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup mirin
• 2 tbsp sake
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• Shichimi togarashi, to serve

Steps

1. Rinse the rice in several changes of cold water until it runs clear, then simmer it in 1 3/4 cups water, covered, over the lowest heat for 15 minutes and leave it covered for 10 minutes more.
2. Ask the butcher for pork sliced paper-thin, or firm the piece in the freezer for 30 minutes and slice it as thinly as you can yourself. Thick slices toughen in this fast simmer.
3. Whisk the soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, and ginger together into the tare.
4. Heat the oil in a wide skillet over medium heat and cook the onion for 4 minutes, until it begins to soften.
5. Pour in the tare and bring it to a simmer, then cook for 3 minutes so the onion absorbs it and the sauce reduces slightly.
6. Lay the pork slices into the simmering sauce one at a time, separating them as they go in so they do not clump into a solid mass.
7. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes only, turning the slices once, until they lose their pink colour. Overcooked thin pork goes stringy and dry in moments.
8. Spoon the pork, onion, and plenty of sauce over the hot rice and finish with the scallions, sesame seeds, and shichimi.

Allergen note: Contains gluten, sesame and soy.

Use the listed quantities as a guide, adjust seasoning to taste, and cook proteins to a safe internal temperature.