NIKUMISO is a popular meal-prep item in Japan which is stir-fried ground meat such as pork, chicken, or pork&beef mix with plenty of minced garlic and ginger, and miso paste.
Surely, the hint of this popular flavored ground meat is from Chinese dishes.
It is added with sugar so that NIKUMISO is a savory sweet miso flavor (also it is addictive), moreover, you can make it spicy while adding chili peppers or chili paste.
It goes well with various dishes such as vegetable or noodle stir-fry or simply top on rice or tofu.
Add this miso-flavored ground meat in an egg omelet is recommended for an easy quick breakfast.
In Japan, “meal prep” is called “tsukuri-oki” (the short-term is “TSUKUOKI”).
NIKUMISO is actually a super-versatile item besides delicious, easy to make, and will last for 5 days in a fridge and 2 months in a freezer.
Today, I am going to tell you my secret recipe and cooking ideas!
What’ll You Need
The Ground Meat
What ground meat should you use to make NIKUMISO?
Totally, it’s up to you!
Ground pork can be super-savory since the pork goes well with miso paste, moreover, the fatting can bring, you know, rich flavor.
Yet, ground chicken/turkey can be used alternatively if you want to reduce calories.
Personally, I choose the pork&beef mix rather than beef-only.
Pre-cook ground meat to reduce the grease (that help remove the gamey flavor) and drain the grease with a colander if needed.
Garlic & Ginger
Minced ginger and garlic are key ingredients to make NIKUMISO flavorful. Adding minced scallions is better.
Season plenty of ground black pepper to finish this dish.
Additional Item Or For Vegetarians
Adding minced mushrooms is not a bad idea to make NIKUMISO more delicious and increase the volume.
Moreover, NIKUMISO will be on a vegetarian menu when minced mushrooms are substituted for ground meat.
The Miso Paste
Mainly, Japanese miso paste has three types divided by their color.
For NIKUMISO ground meat, choose yellow/red since they are unsweet.
The dish will be mild made of yellow and will be tangy and strong miso flavor made of red.
You can adjust the amount of sugar depending on your miso paste.
I use my homemade miso paste (on the photo), and…so good.
It can make your dish more special.
Hoisin Sauce or Tianmian sauce can be substituted for Miso paste and sugar if you want to use up it in your pantry.
Add 1-2 tbsp of dark soy sauce (I would) to give the tangy flavor, not only sweetness in this dish.
Spices
If you like the spicy miso-flavored ground meat, cook minced chili peppers with garlic and ginger.
Also, cook Doubanjiang together when you cook with garlic and ginger when you want to add authentic Chinese spiciness.
Doubanjiang and gochujang are popular condiments in Asian countries, and both mainly is used to provide spicy kicks to dishes.
The big difference between these condiments, doubanjiang (originated in China) is much more spicy and complex Asian flavors, while gochujang (originated in the Korean peninsula) uses sweeter flavors with rich flavor.
For those who don’t like hot spicy in the dish but still want to add rich flavor, add Korean miso paste Gochujang instead using Doubanjiang which can give mild spicy with sweet rich flavor.
Either way, adding these condiments is optional.
Japanese Meal Prep Recipe: MISO-FLAVORED GROUND MEAT CALLED “NIKUMISO”
Ingredients
- 1 -1.2 lb Your choice of ground meat (beef/pork/chicken/ turkey/ beef&pork)
- 1 TSP garlic, minced
- 1 TSP ginger, minced
- ½ cup scallions, minced
- ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
For MISO Seaonings
- 3 tbsp Yellow/red miso
- 1 TSP Gochujang / Doubanjiang
- 1 tbsp raw cane sugar
- 2 tbsp sake/white wine
Instructions
- Oil the large skillet with 1 tbsp of vegetable oil and cook ground meat until browned. Drain the grease if needed.
- Oil the same skillet that you cooked the ground meat, add minced garlic, minced ginger, and minced scallions, and cook them until fragrant.
- Add the cooked ground meat and stir them until well-combined, for about 1-2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Gather the ingredients on the side, and add the miso seasonings in the empty area. *Or you can transfer the cooked meat to a platter and set it aside.
- Stir the miso seasonings well on the skillet over medium heat, and continue cooking until the seasonings and the ground meat combined well, for about 5 minutes. Season the meat with ground black pepper to taste.
- Transfer to a container and store it in a fridge after it is cooked. It'll last for 5 days in the fridge and for 2 months in a freezer.
Video
Notes
How To Use NIKUMISO Gound Meat
Top this miso-flavored ground meat with “TANTANMEN”-the savory creamy spicy Ramen noodle soup!
Japanese Style TANTANMEN Recipe
Spicy rich creamy nutty ramen noodles! Easy to make, grab a peanut butter in your panty! Tantanmen is definitely the Japanese ramen you want to try when you are looking for a new flavor and you will be obsessed with the sesame-seasoned soup (peanut butter in this recipe) and the spicy ground pork topping.
When having NIKUMIO ground meat in your fridge, it’s almost already time to serve dinner for the whole family!
Easy, quick, delicious Asian lettuce wraps made with NIKUMISO. The meat is already cooked so the only you’ll need is the time to chop up vegetables and mix the sauce. You may want to adjust (reduce) the condiments for the sauce since the meat has already been flavored.
NIKUMISO-miso flavored ground meat goes almost too perfect for making Japanese potato “korroke”.
Japanese Potato Croquettes Recipe
If you store NIKUMISo in your fridge, just mush potatoes and combine together for stuffing!
Japanese fried potato cakes aka Korokke. One of the famous comfort food in Japan. A crispy Panko and savory natural sweet filling are delicious and addictive, often served as a main dish (!), Obento item, the filling for a sandwich, and Izakaya nibble.
Easy Ground Meat & Cheese Spanish Omelette
Equipment
- 1 10-inch non -stick skillet
- 1 lid for skillet
- 1 large platter
Ingredients
- 2 cups NIKUMISO ground pork *See the post for the recipe
- 6 whole eggs
- 2 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- ground black pepper to taste
- a handful shredded cheese
- tomato salsa
Instructions
- Place 6 large eggs in a large bowl and 2 tbsp of milk and whisk to combine well.
- Preheat the non-stick skillet with 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Add NIKUMISO ground pork *Microwave for 1 minute if it is just removed from the fridge, and spread the meat evenly on the skillet.
- Sprinkle a handful of shredded cheese over the meat evenly, then, pour over the egg mixture.
- Cover the skillet with a lid and cook the egg over low heat, for about 5 minutes.
- Place the large platter on the skillet, and carefully but quickly, flip the skillet and turn the omelet onto the platter.
- Slide the omelet back into the skillet and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, over low heat, with a lid on.
- Serve the omelet with tomato salsa desired.