Quick, easy, and delicious Teriyaki Pork Donburi. There’s protein, carb, and salad layered in a bowl. A perfect one-pan and one-bowl meal for weeknight dinner.
Many of us, especially parents with young children, can relate to the demands of life – the endless meetings at work and the mad rush between activities after school, which all results in little to no time to prepare dinner. Being a mom and running a Japanese recipe website full time, I too find myself struggling to pull it all together. Although I test and shoot recipes all day long, the food I cook may not always be dinner-appropriate for the family (although my kids don’t mind desserts for dinner!). Sometimes I just have no more energy to cook another meal. But, at the end of the day I still find myself back in the kitchen, and cook.
On the day that I’m short on time, I usually make a simple meal with ingredients that I can quickly pick up from my nearest local American grocery store. Ideally, our family meals should still be nutritious and substantial enough to feed hungry stomachs. One of my reliable go-to dishes to make is this Teriyaki Pork Donburi (豚の照り焼き丼).
Teriyaki Pork Donburi – A Complete Meal in A Bowl
What appeals to me most about this donburi is its fuss-free preparation and fast cooking time. You just need to cook the rice (let your rice cooker do the job), chop up some vegetables, and a quickly grill up the pork chops over the pan.
All the teriyaki seasonings in this recipe, such as soy sauce, sake, rice vinegar, sesame oil, are essential condiments in Japanese cooking. You will see them all the time in Japanese recipes, so this might be the time you go to a Japanese/Asian grocery store to stock your pantry.
Some donburi (rice bowl) meal can be heavy with deep-fried food on top of the rice. But this Teriyaki Pork Donburi is lighter than it might look.
Under the delicious grilled pork with teriyaki glaze is a bed of shredded lettuce for fibers and refreshing crunch. If you need to fill up a bit more, you can serve a full bowl of steamed rice, but otherwise, you can adjust the portion of steamed rice and shredded lettuce. For an extra pop of colors, you can also top the rice bowl with some cherry tomatoes or pickled ginger.
Another bonus point (especially for the cook) is that this dish is all made in one frying pan. Super easy cleanup after a long day.
Teriyaki Pork Donburi – Substitute Suggestions:
Main Protein/Veggie: You can use other protein choices such as chicken, beef, fish, shrimp, tofu, or vegetables like eggplants or zucchini in place of the pork chops. It does get pretty versatile when it comes to the main part of the dish.
Leafy veggies: I like iceberg lettuce for this dish because it gives crisp and crunchy refreshing texture and taste. It goes well with savory dishes (like Chinese lettuce cups). Otherwise, romaine lettuce or shredded cabbage would work just fine.
Rice: You can use white rice, brown rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice, or even noodles underneath the savory main protein/veggie.
Seasonings: Sake is probably the only condiment that you may have trouble finding. Use dry sherry or Chinese rice wine if you can take alcohol. Otherwise, you can replace it with water so the sauce is not overly salty. Rice vinegar (or rice wine vinegar) is milder than other types of vinegar. If you need to use other kind of vinegar, use less amount.
Following the one-pan and one-bowl template, quality dinner can happen more quickly than you think. And I can assure you that your family will enjoy the time spent together at the table, especially when you serve them delicious Teriyaki Pork Donburi.
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Teriyaki Pork Donburi
Ingredients
- 2 boneless pork loin chops (½-inch thick)
- ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil
For the Donburi Bowl
- 2 leaves iceberg lettuce
- 2 green onions/scallions
- 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice (about 1⅔ cups, 250 g per donburi serving)
- 2 cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
For the Seasonings
- 1 knob ginger (1 inch, 2.5 cm)
- 2 Tbsp sake
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Before You Start: Gather all the ingredients. For the steamed rice, please note that 1½ cups (300 g, 2 rice cooker cups) of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice yield 4⅓ cups (660 g) of cooked rice, enough for 2 donburi servings (3⅓ cups, 500 g). See how to cook short-grain with a rice cooker, pot over the stove, Instant Pot, or donabe.
- Cut 2 leaves iceberg lettuce into julienne strips and 2 green onions/scallions into thin rounds.
- Slice 2 cloves garlic and grate 1 knob ginger.
- In a bowl, combine the seasonings ingredients: the grated ginger, 2 Tbsp sake, 2 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned), 3 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp sugar, and ½ tsp toasted sesame oil. Whisk it all together.
- Pound 2 boneless pork loin chops (½-inch thick) to tenderize and make an equal thickness.
- Season the pork with ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Dust the pork with 1 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch and remove the excess starch.
- In a nonstick frying pan, heat 1 Tbsp neutral oil on medium heat. While the oil is still cold, add the garlic slices and coat with the oil. Add the meat and cook until the bottom side is nicely browned.
- Flip it over, reduce the heat to medium low, and add the seasonings mixture. Cook, covered, for 5–7 minutes.
- Remove the lid and spoon some sauce over the pork a few times. Add the chopped green onions and remove the pan from the heat.
- Take out the meat and slice it into a few pieces. Serve 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice in a individual donburi bowls, and place the shredded lettuce on top.
- Place the teriyaki pork on top of the lettuce. Pour the pan sauce on top and garnish with 2 cherry tomatoes on the side.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on May 9, 2011.
Can you use chick breasts for this?
Hi El! Sure, you can. Don’t overcook it.
[…] Teriyaki Pork Donburi […]
I lived just outside Tokyo for 2 years and this dish brought back so many memories. Delicious and one I will make again. THANK YOU
Hi Mary! Thank you for trying this recipe. I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Hope you can find the food you enjoyed eating while you lived in Japan on my blog!
Hello,
I tried this recipe today with a larger portion (6 large pork chops). It’s good. I might actually not add salt on the pork or pull back a tad bit on the soy sauce.
It is true it’s better to complete the recipe with a few cuts a a time, but I realized I need to reduce the cooking time for the first few pieces to prevent them from becoming overcooked once I finished the last two. Also, thicker cuts (5/8 inch) seem to give me a bit more leeway, while still achieving a nice golden color.
Hi Sebastien! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and for your feedback. 🙂
Looks delicious, and so attractive. I would need to cook six chops. Would you recommend having two skillets going at the same time, or tenting the first batch while the second batch cooks?
Hi Chris! Sorry for my late response. If you plan to eat together, I would cook at the same time. It should be manageable. 🙂
[…] Teriyaki Pork Donburi […]
I am terrible at cooking but my boyfriends family (they are japanese) came to visit and I quickly made this recipe and they absolutely adored it!! Thank you so much for saving my life
Hi RS! I’m so happy to hear your boyfriend’s family enjoyed this dish! Well, you are the cook and did a great job! Thanks so much for your wonderful review. 🙂 Nikujaga is considered “Ofukuro no aji” (mom’s food) in Japan to impress mother in law. *hint hint* 😉
Made it! Came very nice!
Hi Martyna! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback! So happy to hear you enjoyed it.
Hi there
I’d like to make a teriyaki salmon donburi and I was wondering what vegetables you would put in that and how you would cook it. I had teriyaki salmon donburi the other day at a restaurant (cooked by Chinese) and I was impressed by their teriyaki, it tasted quite authentic. I loved the bowl. I’d like to put some baby broccoli in it perhaps if that’s not too sacrilegious, I know they had red onion in it.. that might be sacrilegious but I took that out, anyway. Even better, I would be so grateful to have an authentic teriyaki salmon donburi recipe! I already make your teriyaki salmon and just love it. It’s a regular at our house.. just looking for other ways to use it. Thank you. 🙂 Best regards, kg
Hi KG! Glad to hear you enjoy my teriyaki salmon recipe. “Teriyaki” dishes have been cooked very differently outside of Japan and I’m not sure what kind of teriyaki salmon you enjoyed it at the restaurant, in terms of flavor. We don’t really make teriyaki salmon donburi in Japan (although you can definitely create it)… so there is no authentic version in that sense. 🙂
Normally I’m the person in the family following your recipes, but after saying for the millionth time “Nami has a recipe for that!” my husband decided to surprise me with your teriyaki pork donburri for dinner. Not only was it delicious, but the fact he could make it without asking for my help at all shows how clear and easy to follow your recipes are! I’m looking forward to the next meal of yours he makes! Thanks, Nami!
Hi Alexa! Awww thank you so much for making my day! I’m so happy to hear that your husband surprised you with this dish! What a nice husband. 😀 I mentioned to Mr. JOC, maybe he got a hint. LOL. Thank you for trying many of my recipes! xoxo
So funny, I say the same thing to my husband. He has been so happy with my attempts at preparing Nami’s recipes because he is not allowed to eat as much Asian food anymore due to diabetes. I can adjust for carbs and sugars and the flavors are phenomenal!!!! He hasn’t surprised me yet though!!!!
I didn’t have any lettuce or tomatoes, but I made this to the recipe otherwise. It was fantastic. I had a little trouble getting the bottom to brown properly, but it still turned out GREAT. Took me about an hour to make from start to finish.
Hi Angel! That’s okay, the lettuce and tomatoes are for the color (so it makes the dish more appetizing) and balance (nutrition wise). 🙂
The browning part – it all depends on the pan, heat, and oil. When the pan is hot and some oil, the meat will brown nicely. When the pan is cooler and not much oil, it’s harder to brown the meat. Another tip is… DO NOT TOUCH. It’s tempting to move the meat around and touch/flip, but don’t touch it for a long time, giving enough time to brown. That should help. 🙂
This was delicious! Pounding the pork thinner made the pork so tender and tasty. I used bone in chops (because that’s what I had) and cut away the bone before serving. Worked out just fine. Thanks for this and your many other great recipes.
Hi Donna! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your kind feedback. xoxo
I can’t wait to give this a try, it looks delicious and really simple. Also, i’m fascinated that out of all the teriyaki ingredients Sake would be the one you would peg as potentially hard to find. Maybe i’m spoiled living in a mid-size city like New Orleans but I can usually find, at the very least, Gekkeikan in every grocery I’ve ever patronized. Bonus points when I load up two big grocery bags and, to the amazement of other shoppers, just plunk them down in the panniers on my bicycle before strapping a case of good beer to the luggage rack in between heheh.
Hi Taylor! Hahahahahaha! You’re funny!
I’m happy to hear you are interested in trying this recipe! Hope you like it – because it’s really easy to make and delicious!
Konnichiwa Nami-san,
I’ve just made this for my dinner.
Kore wa oishi desu!
Dave
Hi Dave! I’m so happy to hear you liked this recipe! Arigato for your kind feedback. 🙂
Hi! Long time lurker here. Today I made for dinner this Teriyaki Pork Donburi. My husband was pleased, asked for seconds and requested to have some for lunch at work tomorrow ???? Thank you for this recipe, it was delicious ????
Hi Kaye! Thank you for reading my blog! I’m so happy your husband and you enjoyed this dish. It’s easy, delicious, and super simple… but great for dinner/lunch/bento! Thanks for your kind feedback. xo
That is one of the most perfect food photos I’ve ever seen. Makes me want to make it for sure. Pinned it to my must do ASAP recipes. Thank you!
Hi Sue! Thank you so much for your kind compliment! Hope you enjoy this recipe!