Aromatic and sweet-savory Niku Miso (Miso Meat Sauce) is a meal-prep hero. This tasty all-purpose meat sauce adds protein to any dish—whether it’s plain steamed rice, noodles, or lettuce cups. It’s quick, easy, and ready in just 10 minutes!
Today, I’m bringing you a popular and tasty dish called Niku Miso that Japanese home cooks make to accompany plain steamed rice or noodles. In this simple recipe for our Easy College Meal Series, I braise ground meat with aromatics in a sweet-and-savory miso sauce. I’ll show you how to whip together this meal-prep wonder in 10 minutes!
For more popular quick and easy pork main dishes, try my 10 Minute Meal – Mapo Tofu, Ginger Pork (Shogayaki), and Mabo Eggplant (Mabo Nasu)!
Why I Love This Recipe
- Cooks in one pot and is ready in 10 minutes! It’s perfect for busy professionals, college students, or anyone who needs an easy and tasty weeknight meal.
- Protein-packed main dish. Niku miso is nutrient dense and boosts the protein component of any meal.
- Ideal for weekly meal-prep. Heavily seasoned niku miso keeps well in the fridge for up to 7 days. I’ll make it on the weekend and serve it throughout the week in school bentos or for my work-from-home lunch. It’s a lifesaver on busy weekdays!
- Adaptable for vegetarians. I used ground pork for this recipe, but you can easily substitute it with meatless options.
- Versatile for many dishes. I serve it with plain rice, on noodles, or in lettuce cups. Missing some spice? Drizzle in chili oil. See more ideas below!
Ingredients for Niku Miso
- Ground pork
- Ginger
- Geen onions/scallions
- Toasted sesame oil
- Seasoning:
- Miso
- Sugar
- Mirin
- Soy sauce
- Sake (or water)
- Potato starch (or cornstarch)
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
Substitutions
- Ground pork: Pork and beef are the typical choices in Japan, but feel free to use ground chicken or ground turkey; for vegan/vegetarian, use cubed firm tofu.
- Miso: You can use any miso paste, but I like using red miso as it has a bolder and deeper flavor than mild white miso.
How To Make Niku Miso
Preparation
Step 1 – Prep the ingredients before cooking starts. Grate the ginger and thinly slice the green onions.
Step 2 – Mix the sauce. Stir together the miso, sugar, mirin, sake, soy sauce, and potato starch in a bowl until smooth and well combined.
Cooking
Step 3 — Cook the meat with the aromatics. Add the ground pork to the hot sesame oil in the pot and break up the meat with a spatula. Add the grated ginger and green onions and sauté in the oil.
Step 4 — Add the miso sauce. When the meat is nearly no longer pink, give the sauce mixture a final stir and add it to the pot. Stir to incorporate and thicken the sauce. Cook and reduce the cooking liquid to the desired thickness.
Step 5 – Serve. Turn off the heat and serve hot along with plain steamed rice.
Nami’s Recipe Tips
- Break up the ground meat with a spatula – Separate the chunks of ground pork into small crumbles as it cooks. The meat will cook more thoroughly and evenly this way and better absorb the delicious seasonings.
- Dissolve the miso completely – When you mix the sauce ingredients, stir it until it’s a smooth consistency. You don’t want chunks of undissolved miso in your final dish.
- Give the sauce ingredients a final stir – The potato starch in the sauce can settle, so I always give it one last stir just before adding the mixture to the pot.
Variations and Customizations
- Try a different ground meat. You can use any ground meat you like for this dish. While I used ground pork today, ground beef is another popular choice in Japan. I also suggest trying ground chicken and ground turkey, a popular option in the US.
- Bump up the aromatics. To add more depth of flavor, you can incorporate other common aromatics in Japanese cooking. You could definitely add garlic, yuzu kosho, or chili paste. For a more traditional Japanese flavor, I like using Tokyo negi (long green onion) instead of green onion.
- Bulk up the volume with veggies. When my kids were little, I would sneak in veggies into this dish because the meat sauce binds well with vegetables. Finely mince carrots, eggplants, zucchini, and/or shiitake mushrooms and cook them together with the ground meat. I think it’s a tasty way to incorporate more veggies in your diet!
- Make it meatless. Instead of ground meat, try cubed firm tofu or chopped mushrooms for a plant-based version.
What To Serve with Miso Meat Sauce
Niku Miso is a versatile protein add-on for many dishes. Here are some delicious ideas:
- Rice – Serve it with steamed rice, fried rice, or as a filling for rice balls (onigiri).
- Noodles –Toss into stir-fried noodles or pasta, or use as a topping for udon, soba, or somen noodle soups.
- Sandwiches – Spread it on sandwiches or onigirazu.
- Low-carb options – Enjoy it in lettuce wraps, in vegetable stir-fries, and more!
Storage and Reheating Tips
To store: Once the sauce is cooled to room temperature, refrigerate immediately in an airtight container for up to a week.
To Freeze: Store in the freezer for up to 3–4 weeks.
To Reheat. Reheat only the portion you will serve in the microwave or a frying pan.
Frequently Asked Questions
While you can use any type of miso for niku miso, I suggest using one with a bolder flavor like the red miso that I use in the recipe. A deeper miso taste stands up well to the ground meat in the dish. If you do use a mild miso, be sure to adjust the sugar and other seasonings for a balanced flavor.
I don’t recommend it. Sugar is essential to counter balance the salty elements of the sauce like the miso and soy sauce.
More Delicious 10-Minute Recipes
They these popular recipes from our Easy College Meal series!
Prevent your screen from going dark
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Gather all the ingredients. I use an electric pot for this recipe and others in the 10-Minute Meal series. You also could use a regular saucepan on the stove.
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Thinly slice 2 green onions/scallions into small rounds. Set aside some for garnish.
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Peel and grate 1 inch ginger (I use a ceramic grater). Set aside.
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To mix the sauce, add 2 Tbsp miso to a small bowl. Add ½ Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp mirin, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp sake, and 1 tsp potato starch or cornstarch. Stir until smooth and well combined.
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Heat the saucepan over medium-high heat or on Mode II (600W) for the electric pot. When it’s hot, add ½ Tbsp toasted sesame oil and 6 oz ground pork.
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Sauté the meat, breaking up the clumps with a spatula. Add the grated ginger with juices and keep stirring.
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When the pork is almost no longer pink, add most of the green onions, reserving some for garnish.
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When the green onions are coated with oil, give the sauce mixture a final stir and add it to the pot.
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Stir to incorporate and thicken the sauce. Continue to sauté and reduce the cooking liquid until it reaches the desired thickness.
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Transfer the niku miso to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with green onions. Enjoy!
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