I notice that prices have gone up every time I go shopping. Meat can be a costly item, and a smart idea is to buy it in bulk when on sale and then freeze it.
Culinary researcher Miyuki Shimamoto shares some tips for freezing minced pork and whip up a couple of quick dishes with it.
Ground meat is inexpensive and easy to use. It seems to go bad quicker than other types of meat. I have ruined ground meat many times. When I did not use it immediately, it turned black and gave off a rancid smell.
After I buy it, I freeze meat in trays. The meat becomes a hard, frozen lump, which makes it hard to separate into the necessary portions. I was wondering if there was a better way to preserve ground meat.
Shimamoto recommends marinating minced pork in shio koji, or fermented rice malt and salt paste, before freezing it.
She said the unpleasant odor of the meat dissipates and the flavor is enhanced because of the fermented seasoning.
Put ground pork and shio koji into a freezer bag and knead.
Flatten the bag, remove the air and close it.
When freezing, put ground pork into a freezer bag and press chopsticks against the bag to make indentations. These allow the meat to be snapped off by hand when frozen, and only the amount needed can be taken out. Shimamoto recommends making the indentations according to the amount you want to use later.
You can also freeze a mixture of ground beef and pork and ground chicken in the same way, according to Shimamoto.
If you want to use it for dinner, for example, it is best to take out the necessary amount from the freezer and put it in the refrigerator before going to work, because the frozen meat needs to be thawed before cooking.
The marinated meat can be used in a variety of dishes because of the simple seasoning. The flavor of the meat is enhanced by the shio koji, and tofu hamburger steak brings out the flavor of the meat. It is best served in a Japanese style with grated daikon and ponzu sauce.
In the refrigerator, thaw frozen minced pork marinated in shio koji. Mix the meat, tofu, onion and flour in a bowl. Divide the mixture into two and shape into oblong patties. Make a depression in the center of each patty. Heat the salad oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add the patties and cook. When brown, flip over, cover the pan with a lid and cook for about four minutes. When cooked through, place in a serving bowl, top with the shiso leaves and grated daikon, and pour ponzu sauce on top. Shimamoto shares a recipe for two servings of shio soboro don, a bowl of salted ground pork on rice. This makes the most of the seasoning's flavor. Thaw one-half of a bag of frozen minced pork marinated in shio koji, place in a frying pan over medium heat with oil, stir with chopsticks and remove from the pan. Combine eggs, milk, mirin, sugar and salt. Put the mixture into a heated frying pan and stir with four chopsticks until crumbly. Boil snow peas in salted water and then cut into small pieces. The rice is topped with the meat and egg, as well as the snow peas. The meat is perfect for rice because of its mild salty taste. The dish is so easy to cook that I let my 12 year-old son make it, and it was delicious.