Kabocha Pork Stir-Fry

1. Gather all the ingredients. Cut 1 clove garlic into thin slices.

To Make Pork Marinade

1. In a medium bowl, combine ½ tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sake, and 1 tsp potato starch or cornstarch and mix it all together.
2. Add 6 oz ground pork and mix well. Set aside.

To Make the Stir-Fry Sauce

1. In a small bowl, combine 1 Tbsp sake, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp oyster sauce, and 1 tsp gochujang (Korean chili paste).
2. Add 1 tsp sugar and mix all together. Set aside.

To Prepare Kabocha

1. With a spoon, remove the seeds from ¼ kabocha squash. Cut the kabocha block in half so it‘s smaller and easier to slice. Tip: We eat kabocha skin in Japan! If there are tough scars on the skin, shave them off. We remove the skin only when you want to feature the kabocha‘s yellow-orange color, such as kabocha soup or kabocha pie or pudding (the color won‘t be pretty if you mix in the green skin).
2. Cut the kabocha into thin slices, roughly ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick. If the kabocha pieces are too big, cut them in half.
3. In a microwave-safe glass container, put kabocha slices and 1 Tbsp water. Place a paper towel on top and microwave for 2 minutes (depending on your microwave wattage).
4. Check the kabocha‘s doneness with a wooden skewer. It should be 80% cooked through (as we will stir-fry later). Do not overcook them because they will break into pieces while stir-frying.

To Stir-Fry

1. In a large frying pan, heat 1 Tbsp neutral oil on medium heat and cook the garlic until fragrant.
2. Add the marinated meat and cook until no longer pink.
3. Add the kabocha slices and coat them with oil.
4. Cook covered on low heat until the kabocha is fully cooked, roughly 5 minutes.
5. Insert a skewer to check the doneness. Add the stir-fry seasoning.
6. Increase the heat and stir-fry to coat the ingredients with the sauce. When the sauce has reduced, it‘s done.
7. Transfer to a serving dish. Enjoy!

To Store

1. You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for a month.