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 shiso from seeds (you can purchase seeds from this company 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.
I just made this recipe! It was pretty easy and SUPER delicious 🙂 I made too much sauce (because I never measure anything… oops) so I cooked some shiitake mushrooms and white onion in it before adding the julienned eggplant skins. I’ll definitely be making this again! Thanks Nami!
Hi Katie! I’m so happy you liked this recipe! Thank you for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback! 🙂
Hi! How long do you soak the eggplant for?
Am planning on making this with the Japanese eggplant that I harvested from my garden. I don’t have shiso (and couldn’t find it in local stores) so I will try using cinnamon basil that I grow in the garden as well. Cannot wait!
Hi Keenan! Thanks for asking! I edited the recipe step, and added “10 minutes”. 🙂
You have Japanese eggplant in your garden! How wonderful! Let me know how it goes with the cinnamon basil!
This is honestly one of – if not the – best things I have ever tasted. I followed this recipe closely and it paid off. With each garnish, there is another layer of flavor. The shiso and yuzu kosho make this incredibly more delicious and complex. I wouldn’t change anything about the recipe, except increasing the quantity made.
The only thing I did differently was doubled the amount of meat and number of eggplants used to yield more. I kept everything else the same in number (just eyeballing how much starch to use) and there was enough sauce for all of it.
Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Kennedy! I am SO happy to hear that you liked this recipe. It’s also one of my favorites too. The combination of all these flavors work so well together and until you taste it it’s something you never think of (but in Japan, the combination is pretty common). So glad you could find yuzu kosho too – this really make it a complete flavor profile. Thank you for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. You’ve made my day! 🙂
I’m lucky enough to be living in Japan now and your site is a lifesaver on how to utilize all the local produce I see. You’re my go-to for quality Japanese recipes… that I can understand! I’m excited to try more.
Hi Kennedy! Ah I see! Good yuzu kosho can be found in very well stocked Japanese supermarkets like ones we have in the west coast. I’m really happy to hear you can get all the good ingredients in Japan. After spending 2 months in Japan over the summer, food ingredients taste very bland here (even in California). Enjoy cooking Japanese food while you’re there and I hope my recipes will be helpful. 🙂 Enjoy upcoming fall, my favorite season!
Hi Nami! first and foremost, my husband and I are obsessed with JOC (we always love saying “Kon-ni-chi-wa This is Nami form Just One Cookbook” randomly throughout the day lmao)
anyway, this recipe was so delicious! im not a fan of eggplant so i just did blanched carrots and green beans instead. it worked well and the ginger sauce was beyond tasty – it reminded me of your shogayaki recipe! paired it with miso soup full of shimeji mushrooms, green onions and organic hikari miso, steamed broccoli and steamed rice, it was such a fulfilling, healthy and nutritious meal. im so happy i live close to several japanese markets because i can continue to cook your awesome recipes with ease!! 💕
if it isn’t too much to ask, id love to see more of “mom’s tastes” recipes
Hi Nancy! Aww thank you so much and hello to you guys! You make me happy by memorizing my intro!! Thank you for trying this recipe and I’m glad you liked it. And yes, I’ll try to include more of that. 🙂
As always, simply delicious!!! I did not have any miso but it still came out fabulously.
Hi John! I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you for trying my recipe! 🙂
made this last night (w/o shiso – still trying to track some down). Really good AND no-one noticed the eggplant!
Hi Mari! Hahaha my kids are not a huge eggplant eater, but they LOVE this dish too. It’s a win win for me as I love eggplant in any dish! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. 🙂 xoxo
I just made this tonight, it was so delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe. The sauce is the best part, the eggplant just soaks it up, it’s so yummy! I didn’t have shiso nor did I have yuzu kosho, but I love how simple and delicious it is! Definitely will make again
Hi Dita! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for your kind words. 🙂
I made this today. Very simple recipe. I loved the ginger sauce! I didn’t have mirin so I substituted with sake and sugar instead. I wasn’t sure how long to cook the sauce. I turned off the stove as soon as it came to a boil so the consistency was thin. The shiso was too strong for my taste. I love basil though and will use it as garnish next time. I think mint would be a great substitute too.
Hi Diane! Thanks for trying this recipe! It’s hard to tell exactly how many minutes because everyone has different size pans and stove… so it’s important to see your progress by looking at your own sauce. Next time, cook slightly longer. You don’t need that much sauce to pour, so don’t be afraid to reduce more if you like it thicker. 🙂 And thanks for trying this recipe with shiso. Miso, eggplant, ginger… all these go really well with shiso and it’s a pretty common combination in Japan. However, you can try it with basil or mint if you prefer. It’s a fun fusion taste I think. 🙂
I love eggplant so I’m always searching for different ways to prepare it, and this recipe was excellent. The addition of shiso leaf complemented the rolls perfectly!
Hi Villanelle! Thank you so much for trying my recipe! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. It’s my favorite, especially with shiso! Glad you got all the ingredients for this recipe (especially shiso). 🙂 Thank you for your kind feedback. xoxo
I am very excited to try this recipe (plus another dish I can use my yuzu kosho in). I will post in a week or so once I’ve made it.
Hi Danni! Hope you enjoy this recipe with yuzu kosho! 😉
It looks so delicious!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Jun!
I have the same question as Julie. Why is one side of the pork slice dark on step 9? Did you sear the slices on one side very quickly without overcooking it somehow?
Hi Mary! Are you talking about the middle picture, pork roll on the right? The black cutting board is wet because the pork slice was there before I roll up? Is that what you are talking about?
Hi Nami,
This looks delicious. I was wondering about one of the steps. In the picture where you show the two pieces of eggplant on the pork, it looks like there is something dark on top of the pork, what is that?
Hi Julie! Someone else asked the same question about Step 9, and now I took a look. Are you talking about the middle picture, pork roll on the right? The black cutting board is wet because the pork slice was there before I roll up….. 😀
Hi Nami,
Yes, the #9 pictures show the slices of pork lined up and at the top of the slice is a piece of eggplant, and you then start to roll them up. What I see in these pics is something dark laying on top of the pieces of pork. It isn’t the eggplant skin because that is cut up and shown later on down in the steps as on top of the finished rolled pork.
Hi Julie! Sorry I first thought you were talking about the finished two pork rolls on a plate which is why I mentioned about the skin being on top.
Now that I know you’re talking about #9. Which of the 3 pictures you’re talking about? Very left image? There are 2 sticks of eggplants on 2 out of 4 slices. Are you talking about them, right?
I think I know what you are talking about… that “dark” thing is actually the cutting board itself. The eggplant piece is probably slanted. As you see the 3rd slice of pork which has no eggplants yet, you see the top of the pork looks like hook? Same shape on the 2nd one where it looks like dark spot on the eggplant. There is no meat right below. Maybe the short slanted eggplant makes it look like something is on top?
Hi Nami, Look at the slices of pork in the first picture of #9. There are 4 slices of pork. The first two slices do not have a piece of eggplant, the other two slices do have a piece of eggplant. In the pic, I see all 4 slices of pork with something black laying on top them. In the middle picture, you are rolling up the piece of pork and on top of the pork slice looks like something dark is there. It isn’t the cutting board or eggplant skin.
Hi Julie! Mr. JOC and I don’t see what you’re seeing on mobile or desktop.
This is the image:
Do you see the same image? Could you send me a screen shot? So sorry for the trouble…
Hi Nami, Yes, I see exactly what you are seeing. For some reason I am not able to send a screen shot, I’ve been trying. But you don’t see that the top of the slices of pork are very dark, almost black looking?They aren’t pink like pork should be. Like in the middle picture, there is one roll already rolled up and it is nice and pink, but right next to the rolled up piece is a slice you are about to roll up, but you can see the difference in the color of the pork. The one rolled up is pink, the one next to it, not rolled up yet is a different color, almost black.
Hi Julie! I think I know what you’re talking about (finally). This pork slice is SUPER thin – it’s almost see-through. So you’re seeing the black cutting board through the thinly sliced pork! I think that’s it.
Ohhhhhhh. Wow, that is thin!
Thank you for checking it with me! I really appreciate it because I’m sure others felt the same too! THANK YOU!!! And yep, it’s thin – this cut at Japanese market is for shabu shabu.
I love anything with rolls..LOL!! This would be another great one to try. Very easy to make it low carb if I omit the potato starch and figure out another type of flour for the binding 🙂
Hi Jos! Haha! Me too! I hope you find a good substitute. You don’t “have to” use the flour but it makes the sauce thicker and protects from losing delicious juice from the meat. 🙂
It looks great! What is the rationale for soaking in water? I’m planning on making it this weekend.
Hi Mio! It’s to prevent changing the color (it will turn brown) and to remove the astringent taste. It’s the basic prep for eggplants in Japan. 🙂
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly! I see. I saw a lot of recipes sprinkling salt to eggplants, but haven’t seen anything about water. I will try it 🙂
Hi Mio! Yes, American recipes use salt to season to mask the bitterness. In Japanese recipes, we do not salt on eggplants as prepping. 🙂