Editor’s note: The theme of Gohan Lab is to help people make simple, tasty “gohan” (meals).

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The second in a series of “winter party dishes” focuses on barbecued pork or “char siu” introduced by chef Katsuhiko Yoshida.

Normally, barbecued pork is made by marinating a block of meat for about a week and taking time to cook in the oven. As this method requires time and effort, we will offer a simpler version for home cooking.

There are two keys to the recipe. First, the meat is sliced, marinated and frozen. It is a cooking technique where the water in the cells freezes and breaks down the tissue, allowing the flavors to seep in faster and the meat to turn out tender.

The second key is the five-spice powder in the marinade that instantly adds a Chinese feel to a dish. According to Yumi Endo, a “Spice & Herb Master” of S&B Foods who oversaw the cookery science aspect of this week’s recipe, “It is a handy mixed spice that can change the feel of deep-fried chicken or the filling of gyoza dumplings when a small amount is added.”

The barbecued pork will look grand if served on a large plate but will also go well with your usual ramen noodles. It is a dish that will be useful in many ways.

BASIC COOKING METHOD

(Supervised by Katsuhiko Yoshida in the cooking aspect and Yumi Endo in the cookery science aspect)

* Ingredients (Serves four)

450 grams block of pork butt (kata-rosu), 80 grams sugar, 100 ml soy sauce, 80 ml sake, 30 ml sesame oil, 1/4 tsp five-spice powder (gokofun), 1 clove garlic, green part of 1 long onion (naganegi), 25 grams ginger, zipper storage bag

About 360 kcal and 2.1 grams salt per portion

1. Mix sugar, sake, soy sauce, sesame oil and five-spice powder in bowl (PHOTO A)

2. Chop green onion into 1-cm thick rounds. Slice ginger with skin into thickness of 5 mm. Cut garlic in half. Add them to marinade, mix and pour in storage bag.

3. Slice meat into thickness of 3 mm against the fiber. Place in storage bag with marinade, seal and lay flat so meat is thoroughly marinated (PHOTO B). Place in freezer overnight.

4. Thaw at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, or about half a day if thawed in fridge.

5. Heat frying pan on low heat and cook meat taken out of the marinade. Cook leisurely for about 5 minutes over slow fire while turning occasionally (PHOTO C). Serve on plate and garnish with coriander leaves if available.

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Katsuhiko Yoshida is the owner chef of Jeeten, a restaurant in Tokyo’s Yoyogi Uehara offering Chinese home cooking.

Yumi Endo is a “Spice & Herb Master” of S&B Foods, a manufacturer of instant curries and spices along with other products. 

ARRANGED VERSION

Barbecued pork with green onion (Serves two)

Cut the length of half a package of radish sprouts (“kaiware daikon”) in half. Cut 1/2 green onion in half lengthwise and finely slice at an angle. Immerse them in water and pat dry with paper towel. Cut 100 grams barbecued pork into strips, place in bowl and add radish sprouts and green onion. Add 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1/2 tsp chili oil and mix.

COOKERY SCIENCE

The five-spice powder is a typical mixed spice of China. It adds a unique flavor to the ingredients and can remove the odor of meat and fish. Usually, five ingredients are mixed, and they tend to be Sichuan pepper, clove and cinnamon plus two among star anise, “chinpi” (dried mandarin orange peel) and fennel.

 DISTRIBUTION OF INFORMATION ON FOOD STARTED

We started delivering a Japanese-language newsletter titled “Foods & Kitchen,” introducing news on food as well as delicious recipes, on Dec. 22. It will be distributed every second and fourth Wednesdays.

If you wish to receive the newsletter, put a check next to the “Receive” (“Jushin-suru” in Japanese) icon of “Foods & Kitchen” on the Asahi ID website (https://digital.asahi.com/support/mail_service/).

To mark the launch of the newsletter, we will give away “Chorikagaku-de Motto Oishiku Teiban-ryori 1” (Staple dishes made tastier with cooking science 1), a Japanese-language compilation of the Gohan Lab recipes, to 10 people. Please apply from the application website (http://t.asahi.com/gohan) .The application deadline is Jan. 16.

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From The Asahi Shimbun’s Gohan Lab column