Financial and Environmental Adaptations ...

Since we just moved and there's no Costco around here (so sad!) I've had to make some compromises when it comes to quality of ingredients for budget reasons. And since I have a way huger kitchen and no job to go to all day, I've really really enjoyed cooking special dinners for Blake. One of his favorites is 豚のしょうが焼き(Ginger Pork), which I used to make pretty often because it's easy and amazingly tasty. But since good pork chops are hard to come by with my Costco close by, and in general more expensive than chicken, I decided to try it with chicken. And I was pleasantly surprised! It was so tender and tasty and for some reason really sweet. I guess that has something to do with the mirin that I put in it. Good stuff. A serious staple for Japanese cooking.

*Mirin is sweet Japanese cooking wine. And it really is used in basically EVERYTHING.

Ginger Chicken (鳥のしょうが焼き)
serves 3-4
marinade:
1 t fresh grated ginger (with juice)
2 t mirin
juice 1/2 lemon
1 t rice wine vinegar

sauce:
2 T mirin
1 T fresh grated ginger
2 t soy sauce
1/2 T sugar

1 large chicken breast (or pork chop)
vegetable oil for pan

1. slice the chicken breast at an angle, across the grain, as thin as possible. Place in a rectangular tray and pour marinade over the top. This takes out the harsh "meaty" smell and tenderizes the meat. Leave in marinade for 5-10 minutes. Wipe off excess moisture.
2. Meanwhile mix sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan on medium heat and lay the chicken slices in the pan. Flip pieces over once. Once heated through, pour sauce and cover the chicken completely. Once sauce is reduced slightly, you can take it out and arrange on a small platter and serve.