The Japanese Kitchen

Southern end of Kyushu where I am from is not only famous for fresh fish but for Kurobuta, Berkshire pork. Fish were commonly eaten at dinner table when I was growing up but when we were not eating fish, we often ate dishes cooked with pork meat and vegetables.

This particular recipe is an adaptation from Mrs. Tatsuji, a fisherman’s wife’s recipe (Tatsuji is first name, but our family called them Mr. and Mrs. Tatsuji). In 1995 when my husband and I visited Koshiki Island, Mr. and Mrs Tatsuji who ran a commercial fishing boat where my father was a crew member before passing, warmly welcomed us to their house and offered this dish along with sashimi and other island delicacies.

In this dish, pork and root vegetables were slowly braised in miso until the meat is so tender it falls off from the bones. A Perfect dish for chilly autumn nights. Serve it with side of sauteed green such as kale or spinach and a steaming bowl of white rice.

Note: This dish is even better after resting in the refrigerator overnight.

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Fisherman's Wife's Miso Braised Berkshire Pork

Southern end of Kyushu where I am from is not only famous for fresh fish but for Kurobuta, Berkshire pork

Course Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword japanese, one-pot cooking, pork, stew

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Servings 4

Author Koshiki Yonemura

Ingredients

• 2 pounds country rib pork with bones
• 12 small fingerling potato with skin on
• 1 medium carrot cut into bite-size
• 1/2 medium daikon radish cut into bite-size
• 2-3 inch kelp Japanese seaweed
• 4 spring green onion white and green parts separated and cut into 1 inch length
• 1 inch ginger root peeled and halved
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sake Japanese cooking wine
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4-1/2 cup yellow or white miso Japanese fermented soybean paste
• 2 tablespoon mirin Japanese rice wine
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Instructions

1. In a 3.5 qt or larger pot add two cups of cold water and soak kelp for about one hour.  

2. Scrub potatoes then puncture them with fork. This will help potatoes absorbs more flavor when cooking.  

3. In a medium pot, bring water to boil then cook the pork for about one minute. Drain the water and rinse the pork with cold water.  

4. Gently bring #1 to a simmer, take out the kelp and cut into pieces.  

5. Add pork, sake, ginger, white part of green onions and kelp to #4. Turn the heat low and cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes.  

6. Add potato and sugar then cook for another 10 minutes.  

7. Add carrots and daikon radish and cook for another 10 minutes.  

8. Once the vegetables are soft, add ¼ cup of miso, mirin and green onions. Now take the cover off and turn the heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes until liquid thickens a bit. Taste test and add more miso if necessary. Remove ginger piece and drizzle sesame oil. Let it rests for 10 minutes.  Serve hot.