Pork Roll with Green Perilla (Shiso)

Pork roll is very good with green perilla. We call it Oba or Aojiso or Shiso. This leaf has a wonderful smell, but is a little difficult to find outside of Japan. It has lot of beta-carotene. Some izakaya (Japanese pub) serve this food.

Yield: 2 servings
Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• sliced pork loin (8 pieces) about 1/2 lb
• 1/2 lb egg plant (make it thin about 2 1/2 inches x 1/2 inches)
• 1carrot (thin, about 2 1/2 in x 1/2 inches each)
• 4 pieces green perilla, cut in half
  

Spices

• 4 tsp soy sauce
  
• 4 tsp mirin
  
• 4 tsp sake
• 1/2 tsp ginger (granted)
• dash of salt and pepper
  

Preparation

1. Mix spices together in small bowl (soy sauce, mirin, sake)
   
2. Heat oil to about 350 F in a deep fryer and fry egg plant and carrot for 1 minute
   
3. Spread out two pieces of pork (1 for each roll) and hit with salt and pepper
4. Cut the green perilla in half put a 1/2 slice on each piece of pork
   
5. Put egg plant and carrot on the pork and roll it up, then insert a toothpick in each
6. Heat oil in a frying pan, add pork roll, and cook for 2 minutes, then turn and cook another 2 minutes over medium heat
7. Add mixed spices, cook for 1 1/2 minutes over medium heat

Modifications

1. If you can not find green perilla in a Japanese super market, it is ok without it
2. Boil the vegetables if you don’t want to deep fry them