“Cooked this tonight. Reminded me of Japanese meals in better times!”
– Andy Mc
What is Shōgayaki?
Some dishes spark instant nostalgia, whisking you from your own kitchen straight into a Japanese home. Buta no shōgayaki (豚の生姜焼き) is one of those weeknight saviors: thin pork slices sizzling in a sweet-savory ginger glaze that perfumes the room in minutes.
In Japanese, shōga means “ginger” and yaki means “to fry.” Paired with plain rice, a mound of shredded cabbage and a quick bowl of miso soup, it’s comfort food that doesn’t ask much of your evening.
Although pork is not mentioned in the name, this dish is made almost exclusively with pork. The full name would be “Buta no Shogayaki” (豚の生姜焼き), which means “pork fried with ginger.”
This classic has been a staple in Japanese homes since the early 20th century. Ginger was originally used to balance the richness of the pork, but it quickly became the star flavor that defines this comforting dish.
How I Developed This Recipe
I developed this recipe to help those living outside Japan recreate authentic shogayaki with confidence.
But I wanted to go further by adding a modern twist to these traditional flavors, creating what I believe is the ultimate version. This dish captures the authentic aroma and flavor of Japan, and I hope you can establish a new family weeknight dinner tradition with this modern recipe.
I’ve created hundreds of recipes for this blog, but this shogayaki remains one of my favorites!
How to Choose Your Pork Cuts
The best cut of pork for shogayaki is actually up for debate, even in Japan. You can make tasty shogayaki with almost any pork cut, as long as it’s sliced to the right thickness. But there are some cuts that Japanese kitchens like best.
| Cut | Why it works | How to shop & slice |
|---|---|---|
| Shoulder loin (collar butt) my first choice | Fine marbling runs through the lean, so it stays juicy even after the quick sear. Collagen in the shoulder melts fast, giving the meat a soft bite without long braising. | Ask the butcher for boneless “Boston butt” and have it sliced ⅛ inch (≈ 4 mm) thick. If they don’t do thinly cut, chill the block in the freezer for 30 min, then cut with a sharp knife. |
| Rib-end loin | Very close to the classic “rosu” packs sold in Japan: balanced fat rim + tender red meat → nostalgic flavor. | Look for “center-cut pork chops” or “boneless loin roast.” Slice to 3-4 mm; keep the fat cap on. |
| Pork belly | If your supermarket only carries paper-thin “shabu-shabu” slices (~2 mm), belly’s higher fat (≈ 30 %) prevents dryness and adds lacquer-like gloss after glazing. | Buy hot-pot belly strips from Asian groceries, or ask for belly shaved on the deli slicer. Reduce frying oil; the rendered fat will baste the meat. |
| Lean loin or tenderloin not so recommended | Health-forward but dries out in a flash. |
- At ~4 mm the surface caramelises before the core over-cooks, so the Maillard browning gives you that signature nutty-ginger aroma.
- Thinner shabu-cut meat cooks very quickly; only fatty belly can survive that heat blast without turning tough.
- Anything thicker than 5 mm will be tricky to use for Shogayaki.
For a convenient weeknight scenario, grab a small Boston-butt roast on Sunday, chill-slice it into 3 mm sheets, and freeze them in single-dinner packs. On a hectic Wednesday, you’ll have Japanese shogayaki ready in 20 minutes. No more dry Shogayaki, ever!
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make ultimate Shogayaki Pork at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
If you prefer to watch the process in action, check out my YouTube video of this recipe for a complete visual walkthrough!
Grab your ginger, garlic, apple, and onion and grate them into a small bowl. A micro-plane (or even better, Japanese ginger grater) works best here. It shreds the fibers so finely that nothing stringy sneaks into the sauce. Stick with the skins on the ginger after a quick scrub; that’s where the essential oils (big flavor) hide.
Grating breaks more cell walls, releasing enzymes that tenderize the pork and fragrance that perfumes the whole kitchen. Mincing leaves half those goodies locked inside!
Whisk the soy sauce, mirin, sake, dashi (or water), and honey, then fold in your fresh aromatics. Set the bowl aside and let the flavors mingle while you prep the meat.
If you add ingredients to the pan one by one, some components might over-reduce while others remain underdeveloped. Combining everything first creates a balanced flavor profile and more efficient cooking.
Make a few small cuts across the fatty parts and muscles of your pork slices. This will help prevent the meat from curling during cooking because muscle and fat contract at different rates when heated.
Thin sheets of shoulder loin (about ⅛ inch / 3-4 mm) hit the sweet spot: enough fat to stay moist, enough lean to soak up the sauce. If you must use super-thin shabu slices, switch to pork belly so the extra fat guards against dryness.
If using thinner slices (like shabu-shabu cuts), go for fattier cuts like pork belly so it won’t dry out during cooking.
Pat the pork dry, sprinkle a whisper of salt and pepper on it, then dust both sides with a thin layer of flour (or potato starch to make it gluten-free).
The thin flour coating serves multiple purposes: it keeps moisture from escaping during cooking (so the meat stays juicy), creates a beautiful golden crust thanks to the Maillard reaction, and helps the sauce stick to the meat.
For traditional 3-4mm thick cuts, dusting with flour is essential for moisture retention. However, if you choose to use very thin cuts like pork belly, you can skip the flour. The fat in the meat naturally keeps it moist, and the flour might not cook right on such thin slices.
Pour a tablespoon of oil into a cold 10-inch pan, place one piece of pork over it and move it in a circular motion to move the oil evenly around the pan and coat the bottom. Arrange the rest of the slices in the pan without overlapping.
Starting cold lets the proteins contract slowly. Lab tests show about 50 % less shrinkage, so the pork stays tender.
If you’re cooking fattier belly, feel free to pre-heat the skillet for a quicker Maillard crust; the rendered fat will cushion the fibers.
Turn the heat to medium and let the meat gently sizzle. When the bottom browns and the top turns 80 % opaque, flip the slices and immediately pour in the prepared sauce.
For 3-4mm thick pork, cook approximately 1-2 minutes per side. Thinner cuts (2mm) need only 1 minute per side. Look for a change in color from pink to white throughout, with no pink remaining.
Once it’s fully cooked, remove it from the pan and place it on serving plates.
If using fattier cuts like pork belly, you can wipe the pan with kitchen paper to remove excess rendered fat before adding your sauce.
Use the sauce leftover in the pan to cook the shishito peppers (or another vegetable of your choice). Fry until the peppers are slightly charred and the sauce has thickened.
The glaze should cling to the back of a spoon. Too thin? Simmer a touch longer. Too thick? A splash of dashi/water loosens it right up.
Serve the pork with shredded cabbage and the charred shishito peppers. Pour the leftover sauce generously over each serving.
I recommend serving this dish with a bowl of cooked rice. If you’re interested in learning how to cook Japanese rice, check out my post.
Essential Tips & Tricks
- Choose the right cut: For authentic shogayaki, use pork shoulder “rib” cuts with fat marbled through the center (3-4mm thick), or fatty pork belly for thinner slices.
- Grate ginger with skin on: After washing thoroughly, grate with skin intact for maximum flavor. Micro-plane the ginger, garlic, apple, and onion to release maximum flavor and avoid large stringy bits in the sauce.
- Mix all sauce ingredients beforehand: Combining everything at once ensures balanced flavor development rather than adding ingredients one by one.
- Flour coating depends on thickness: Use flour coating for thicker cuts (3-4mm) to prevent moisture loss; but you can skip flour for very thin, fatty cuts.
- Be patient with browning: Resist the urge to move the meat until it’s properly browned on one side.
With these simple tips in mind, you’re set for success every time you make shogayaki.
Meal Prep & Storage
Shogayaki is a great option for meal prep because the flavors get even better as the ginger-soy glaze sinks in.
- Full Dish Prep: You’ll want to cook the pork all the way through, then let it cool before putting it into airtight containers with the sauce. Just heat it gently in the microwave or in a skillet with 1 tablespoon of water, and it’ll stay good for about 3 days.
- Component Prep: Mix the sauce and grate the aromatics up to 5 days ahead. Keep refrigerated in a sealed jar; shake before use. You can also freeze raw pork slices in the sauce for up to 3 weeks. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then cook as directed.
- Storage Guide: Cool food quickly, transfer to airtight glass or food-grade plastic, and refrigerate as soon as possible. Don’t leave cooked pork out for any longer than 2 hours (1 hour in warmer environments). Eat refrigerated shogayaki within 2-3 days; discard if sour odors develop.
FAQ
Here are answers to frequently asked questions I have received across all platforms, including here, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest. If you have any questions, feel free to send them to me anytime! It will be a big help for everyone in this community!
It balances sweet and savory flavors with distinctive ginger warmth. Every household has its version, but all share that comforting quality that makes this dish nostalgic.
Ask your butcher for 3-4mm slices of marbled pork loin or shoulder. Alternatively, partially freeze pork and slice it yourself with a sharp knife or a meat slicer.
Grate ginger with skin on, use Japanese dark soy sauce, and select the appropriate pork cut (3-4mm) with good marbling. Serve with thinly shredded cabbage and freshly cooked Japanese to complete the authentic experience.
Shogayaki’s roots trace back to 1913, when a “ginger-fried pork” appeared in Professor Hiroshi Tanaka’s cookbook 200 Ways to Cook Pork. The dish took off after WWII, thanks to a small Ginza izakaya called Zeni-gata that sold ginger-pork bentos to office workers. Its sweet-savory glaze and quick cook time made it a nationwide staple, and by the 1970s supermarkets were even selling pre-sliced “shogayaki-cut” pork to help busy home cooks get dinner on the table faster.
I hope you enjoy this Shogayaki recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Japanese Pork Recipes
- Pork Chop Teriyaki with Lemon
- Subuta (Japanese Style Sweet And Sour Pork)
- Katsudon (Japanese Pork Cutlet Bowl)
- Tonteki (Japanese Pork Chop Steak)
Want more inspiration? Explore my Pork Recipe Roundup Post for a carefully selected collection of tasty recipe ideas to spark your next meal!
Buta no Shogayaki (Japanese Ginger Pork)
Ingredients
Sauce
- 20 g ginger root skin on
- 1 tsp apple or apple juice or smooth apple sauce
- 1 tsp onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
- 3 tbsp sake
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp dashi stock use leftover homemade dashi stock, or dissolve a pinch of instant dashi granules in 1 tbsp of water
- 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
Shogayaki
- 250 g pork loin 3-4mm thick, marbled shoulder-loin; thin pork belly also works
- salt and pepper for seasoning
- all-purpose flour for dusting, or potato/corn starch for GF
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 6 shishito peppers or mini sweet peppers/sliced bell peppers
My recommended brands of ingredients and seasonings can be found in my Japanese pantry guide.
Can’t find certain Japanese ingredients? See my substitution guide here.
Instructions
- Finely grate 20 g ginger root, 1 tsp apple, 1 tsp onion and 1 clove garlic.
- Add 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), 3 tbsp sake, 2 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp dashi stock and 1 tsp honey to a small bowl, then add the grated ingredients and mix well. Set aside for later.
- Take 250 g pork loin and make small incisions in the fat to prevent curling.
- Sprinkle each slice of pork with a pinch of salt and pepper on both sides and then lightly dust with all-purpose flour.
- Take a large pan and add 1 tbsp cooking oil. While it's still cold, place one piece of pork in the pan and move it in a circular motion to spread the oil evenly around the pan.Place the rest of the pork slices in pan laying flat, be careful not to overlap.
- Turn on the heat to medium and fry until the pork is browned underneath. Once browned, flip it over and add the sauce. Move pork around the pan to distribute the sauce evenly.
- Once pork is cooked through, remove it from the pan and place on serving plates. Fry 6 shishito peppers in the same pan with the leftover sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the peppers are slightly charred and the sauce has thickened.
- Turn off the heat and dish up the peppers, drizzle any leftover sauce over the pork. Serve with rice and salad and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Use a micro-plane grater or Japanese “oroshi” style grater to fully break down ginger fibers.
- Thoroughly wash and grate the ginger with the skin intact for maximum flavor.
- Choose pork with good marbling – rib cut from the shoulder loin is ideal for 3-4mm slices, while fatty pork belly works best for thin slices under 2mm.
- Look for visual cues of doneness – no pink remaining and clear juices, with approximately 1-2 minutes per side for standard thickness.
- Start cooking in a cold pan and heat gradually to prevent protein coagulation and maintain tenderness.
- Meal-prep friendly: cool cooked pork in sauce, store airtight up to 3 days in the fridge, and reheat gently with 1 Tbsp water.
- Serving suggestions: Freshly cooked Japanese rice, shredded cabbage, miso soup, pickled cucumber.
Cooked this tonight. Reminded me of Japanese meals in better times!
Thanks for sharing.
Hi, Andy
You’re welcome and thank you very much for the lovely comment!
Every time someone talks about Japanese food they mention sushi and ramen but this and gyoza are what make me homesick. Great recipe.
Hi Christopher,
I agree, sushi and ramen are great, but I always think of them of restaurant dishes. Gyoza and shogayaki are so comforting and typical dishes to enjoy at home aren’t they? Thank you so much, and thank you for the 5 star rating 🙂
Thank you for sharing
You’re welcome! Thank you for your generous rating 🙂
This good Recipe help me know about Japanese cosine
so thank for you and your work
Thank you!