Buta no misoitame - Miso braised pork with cabbage

This is my take on what I understand is a traditional Japanese dish. I've modified the recipe to comply with what's generally available in western (read Swedish) grocery stores. The recipy serves two adults and a small child. I served this rather unconventionally with udon style noodles as a warm winter style noodle soup to my wife and daughter.

  • 300g Loin of pork
  • 300g fresh cabbage
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 tbsp. grated ginger
  • 2 tbsp. dark (red) miso paste
  • 1 tsp. dashimoto powder
  • 2 tbsp. japanese soy
  • 1 tbsp. sambal oelek

Directions

  1. Chop the garlic
  2. Grate the ginger
  3. Cut the cabbage into large pieces
  4. Cut the pork into very thin slices, or if impossible due to precut meat, cut it into bite size pieces.
  5. Mix the miso, dashimoto, soy and sambal oelek in a bowl.
  6. Fry the pork along with the garlic in neutral oil on medium heat in a sauté or wide frying pan.
  7. When the pork have become semi cooked, add the ginger. If using an ordinary pan, the ginger will start to stick to the bottom. If this occurs, add a little water and stir until resolved.
  8. Add the cabbage and fry for a minute.
  9. Add the sauce and continue frying for a minute.
  10. Taste the sauce and add water (1-3 dl. should suffice. Add more water if you intend to cook a soup) until the sauce has the right saltiness.
  11. Continue cooking until the pork is done and the cabbage is somewhat tender, but still crisp.