Ground pork glazed with soy, ginger, brown sugar, and chili flakes. Japanese shogayaki in taco form — 15 minutes start to finish, minimal prep, and genuinely better than it has any right to be for the effort.←Back to Taco Base Recipes
1.5 lbs ground pork
3 tbsp soy sauce
1.5 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp avocado oil
2 stalks green onions, sliced
0.5 tsp red chili flakes
Heat avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Add the ground pork and let it sizzle. Break it up with a spatula and cook until golden and slightly crispy.
Toss in the garlic and ginger. Stir until fragrant — about 1 minute.
Drizzle in the soy sauce and sprinkle the brown sugar. Stir to coat every bit of pork in the sweet-savory glaze.
Add the red chili flakes and half of the green onions. Mix together.
Remove from heat. Garnish with the remaining green onions and let rest 2 minutes before building your taco.
Chef's Notes
Fresh ginger is non-negotiable here. Powdered ginger tastes flat and dusty; fresh has brightness and heat that dried can't deliver. Use a Microplane to grate it into a paste for even distribution. The skin is edible if it's young ginger; older ginger has tougher skin you'll want to peel first. Good soy sauce matters: Kikkoman is a reliable baseline; Yamasa or San-J are cleaner and more nuanced if you can find them. A splash of mirin adds complexity; a pinch of sugar works if you don't have it. Rice vinegar at the end brightens everything — just a tablespoon transforms the sauce from one-note to balanced. This is supremely weeknight-friendly: 15 minutes start to finish, minimal prep, ingredients you can keep on hand.
Into This Base? Remix It!
Soy Ginger Pork is a taco base recipe — the foundation of your taco, also known as the filling. It sets the flavor direction for everything that follows. Hit remix to pair it with toppings and finishes that complement it or take it somewhere you'd never expect. You might land on something traditional or stumble into full-on taco fusion.Take Soy Ginger Pork into the Summoning Circle and shuffle it with hundreds of other taco components to create your perfect taco.
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