Coated with a sticky, sweet, and savory ginger sauce, this Ginger Pork Rolls with Eggplant recipe makes the tastiest weeknight meal for the family.

One of the delicious combinations of food I enjoy is pork, eggplant, shiso leaves, and ginger-based sweet soy sauce. Today’s recipe – Ginger Pork Rolls with Eggplant (茄子の肉巻き生姜焼き) is in every way the marriage of all these ingredients. As a result, you get a homey and tasty dish that goes amazingly with rice.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This pork roll recipe is very simple and easy to make, and I especially love that it is super bento-friendly. The kids get vegetables and meat together, and with a delicious savory sauce that even at room temperature, the pork rolls are still delicious by lunchtime.
You will be surprised by how fast it can be put together and the complexity of the flavors it offers!

Use Thinly Sliced Meat
Many of you have asked me what Japanese people eat at home that we don’t eat at restaurants. Well, pork or beef rolls like today’s recipe is definitely one of the examples of food we eat at home. An honest-to-goodness kind of food that our grandmothers and mothers cook for the family.
Japanese don’t typically consume a lot of meat, so it’s not common to cook a whole chicken or a big block of pork or beef. Instead, we eat a whole range of foods, rice or noodles for carbs, plenty of vegetables and soy-based foods like tofu, seafood, and a small amount of meat in a meal.

When you go to Japanese markets, you will see pre-sliced pork and beef that are as thin as paper. We call this cut of meat “Usugiri Niku“(薄切り肉), thinly cut meat.
These thinly sliced meats can be from different parts of the meat. For example at the Japanese grocery store I visit, they carry pork belly slices, super thin pork loin slices (for Shabu Shabu), and semi-thin pork loin slices (for Sukiyaki). Same goes with the beef cut. In Japan, there are more categories for thinly sliced meat.

If you can’t find thinly sliced meat locally, here’s the tutorial on How to Slice Meat Thinly (with video).

On Just One Cookbook, you’ll find different meat roll recipes using thinly sliced pork/beef:
- Teriyaki Steak Rolls
- Potato Salad Pork Rolls
- Mashed Potato Teriyaki Pork Rolls
- Baby Carrot Beef Rolls

What is Shiso?

Shiso (perilla leaves) is my favorite Japanese herb that I often use to add extra zing and to elevate the presentation of a dish. It is an optional ingredient, but it’s worth getting if you live near a Japanese grocery store or lucky enough to have access from your farmers market.
This herb is also super easy to grow with low maintenance, and many Just One Cookbook readers have started growing their own shiso plants from seeds (you can purchase from Kitazawa Seed online).
You can also substitute with mint and Thai basil, but they don’t taste similar to shiso. So enjoy it as a variation of this dish!
What is Yuzu Kosho?

Came from Kyushu area, yuzu kosho is a little spicy but packed with umami flavor. It’s made of red chili pepper fermented with salt and yuzu zest and has the ability to enrich any bland dish. Just a tiny dab of yuzu kosho goes a long way.
I like serving Ginger Pork Rolls with Eggplant with a small drop of yuzu kosho on the serving plate. Feel free to skip it, but you can find yuzu kosho on Amazon if you’re curious to try. If you appreciate flavors, you’d be happy that you have one in your pantry. It’s truly a magical condiment.
And when you make these Ginger Pork Rolls with Eggplant for your family, do cook up more rice as everyone will be going for seconds! It’s everything we all love about home-cooked food.

Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.

Ginger Pork Rolls with Eggplant
Ingredients
- 2 Japanese eggplants (or 1 long Chinese eggplant; 10 oz, 280 g)
- ½ lb thinly sliced pork loin (1 package shabu shabu meat)
- 2 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch
For the Seasonings
For Cooking
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- ½ tsp miso
For the Garnish
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Grate the ginger and measure ½ tsp ginger (grated, with juice).
- In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the sauce: 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp mirin, 1 Tbsp sake, 1 tsp sugar, and the grated ginger.
- Peel 2 Japanese eggplants with a peeler and soak the peeled skin in water.
- Cut the eggplant into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces widthwise, and cut each piece in half.
- Then, cut each piece into 4 sticks and soak in water for 10 minutes to remove the bitterness and prevent from changing the color.
- Now cut the eggplant skin into julienne strips and continue to soak in water.
- Remove any moisture on the eggplant with a paper towel.
- Wrap 2 eggplant sticks with a thin slice of pork. Continue with the rest of the ½ lb thinly sliced pork loin.
- Sprinkle half of 2 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch on the pork rolls and spread over the meat. Then, flip over and spread the remaining potato starch or cornstarch. Remove any excess starch.
- In a large nonstick frying pan, heat 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil on medium heat. Add the pork rolls.
- Cook them until all sides are golden browned.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook on medium-low heat, until the eggplant is tender, roughly 2–3 minutes.
- Add the sauce to the pan.
- Coat the pork rolls well by rotating them and spooning the sauce over.
- Serve the pork rolls on a plate and pour the sauce on top.
- In the same pan (without washing), add the eggplant skin and ½ tsp miso.
- Mix well together and cook on medium-low heat until tender, about 2–3 minutes. Put the skins on top of the eggplant.
- Roll up 4 shiso leaves (perilla/ooba) and cut into chiffonade strips.
- Garnish the pork rolls with shiso leaves. If you like it spicy, serve with a dab of yuzu kosho (Japanese citrus chili paste). You can put a tiny bit of it on the pork roll and enjoy!
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on February 21, 2011. New images and step by step images have been added to the post in May 2019.
Hi Nami, can you make this dish ahead of time and freeze it? Thank you!
Hi Sandra, Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe.
Unfortunately, we do not recommend freezing this dish.
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
We hope this helps!
Hi Nami, I’m not using a non-stick fry pan. What can I do so the meat will not stick? Add more oil?
Is it ok to use sukiyaki cut instead of shabu shabu cut? I tried the latter and they’re very delicate and tore apart easily.
Hi, Howard. Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe.
Yes, you may choose Sukiyaki cut if you prefer.
We recommend seasoning and heating the pan well before adding the oil to it.
Then add oil to begin cooking.
It will create a nice coating and will not stick to anything.
We hope this helps!
Aloha Namiko, I would like to make this dish, but not a big fan of eggplant! can I substitute with sweet potato or? and instead of Pork could you use Shabu Shabu beef instead? Mahalo
Hi Mark! Thank you so much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
Yes. You can use sweet potatoes or other vegetables and roll them up with beef instead.
Here’s another recipe for rolls you might enjoy: https://www.justonecookbook.com/carrot-beef-rolls/
We hope this helps!
Hi,
I love your recipes. I will cook some of your recipes for a dinner party in a few days. I’m wondering about the Roasted Sesame Oil used for frying in this recipe. Doesn’t that burn easily?
Best.
Gerry.
Hi Gerard! Thank you for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
With medium-low heat, the sesame oil should be no problem. But if you are worried, you can use vegetable oil instead and add a small amount of sesame oil at the end.
We hope this helps!
Great recipe. I’m not usually a fan of eggplant but my husband is, so I’m always trying to find ways to eat it that I think are good. I went to our local chinese butcher and had him slice pork for me and then to the Vietnamese grocer for shiso (perilla) and then to the Indian grocer for Asian eggplant. We don’t have a Japanese grocery here but I can make do.
BTW I love yuzukosho. I first had it with gyoza in Osaka and had to buy a jar to bring home. Now I buy it online. We eat it like mustard – with almost anything, not just japanese food.
Hi Lynn! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
We are glad to hear it worked out well for you!
Yes. Yuzukosho is so good! We love it too. We agree that it works well for many dishes!🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/search/?q=Yuzu%20kosho
Hi Nami- my husband was only able to find regular italian eggplant. Can i just follow the recipe as is? Thank you! -Mare (ps we love this recipe; we were on vacation and sourcing what was in the shop!)
Hi mare! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe!
Sure, you can use Italian eggplant as a substitute.
Have a nice vacation!🤗
How would you recommend reheating the left overs? Toast it up or just microwave?
Hi Kristin! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
The easiest way to reheat is using the microwave.😊
We hope this helps!
This is why I should read the recipe and blog post before I go shopping haha … Do you think I could make this into a meatball? Ground pork and chopped up (sautéed) eggplant lol may have to try that. Also why do you peel the skin and soak it separately? could you leave it on?
Hi Sheena! We are sorry to hear that you purchased the wrong type of meat.
Sure, you can make that into meatball or make like this one and use the seasonings sauce at the end: https://www.justonecookbook.com/mapo-eggplant/
The reason for peeling the skin is for texture. Because the eggplant goes inside the rolls, it will be also easier to chew and cook without skin.
We hope this helps!
Hi! I’d like to make this with thinly sliced beef. I noticed the other beef roll recipe with beans/carrots doesn’t include corn/potato starch. Is that just a preference? Thanks and love your recipes!
Hi Brian,
The potato starch/cornstarch will help absorb the flavor and make meat more flavorful and soft, and it’s often used in Japanese sauté recipes.
Nami’s Baby Carrot Beef Rolls also use it. https://www.justonecookbook.com/baby-carrot-beef-rolls/
We hope this helps!
Thank you so much! I made it tonight using cornstarch and potato starch and rolled it with some pre-stir fried enoki mushrooms and green onions with fresh shio leaf. I didn’t have yuzu kosho but still good! I’ll have to pick up yuzu kosho and try it again. Your recipes are so delicious yet using only simple ingredients. I’ve added so many of these to my weeknight rotation. Best blog ever!
Hi Brian,
It is our pleasure!
We are so glad to hear you enjoyed many of Nami’s recipes.
Thank you for sharing your cooking experience and your kind feedback!💕
We just had this for dinner with side bowls of rice, enough for 2 as a meal. Thank you for another great recipe!
Hi Carlin! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂