Get to know Glenn Shinsato and you quickly realize he’s got a great palate. Plain speaking and opinionated, Shinsato centers his talk-story on food, whether it be farms that grow and raise food, chefs who cook food, restaurants that serve food or recipes to make home-style food.

"Good chefs take simple ingredients and make something that tastes really good, but each ingredient still tastes like what it is," he opined about sophisticated gourmet dishes.

As co-owner of Shinsato Farm in Kahaluu, which he runs with his wife, Amy, Shinsato raises hogs and supplies local pork to a number of Hawaii restaurants. His pork is served in such restaurants as town, 12th Ave Grill, Bernini Hawaii, Hiroshi’s Eurasion Tapas, Vino Italian Tapas & Wine Bar, Salt Kitchen & Tasting Bar and Prima.

Over the years, Shinsato, 64, has gotten to know many a chef and eaten a fair amount of chef-prepared dinners.

At the same time, he recognizes that good food cooked at home isn’t simply about a hunk of prime meat.

"I like a good piece of meat on occasion, but not all the time. It gets boring," he said. "An interesting dish can be quick and simple. I personally like things that go with rice."

Among Shinsato’s favorite foods to prepare is a tofu pork dish utilizing ground pork "because it’s simple: No need use a knife or anything. Take it out, drop it in the pan. Everybody likes quick."

He flavors the dish with Chinese seasonings such as black bean garlic sauce, black bean paste and chili garlic sauce, and a bit of Japanese dashi (powdered stock) if necessary.

The beauty of the dish, he says, is that it’s versatile. Substitute teriyaki sauce and add in bamboo shoots, Asian greens, green onion and top with an egg, and you’ve got Japanese donburi.

"Basically, you just cook what’s available," he said, rattling off more possibilities such as won bok, eggplant and fishcake.

Shinsato, who grew up in Kalihi, says his mother made it a priority that all of her children four boys, one girl learned how to cook.

"During kid time she’d say, If I die tomorrow, you can cook your own food,’" he recalled.

The lineup they learned was mostly inexpensive dishes such as stews and stir fries, "never steak that was a birthday gift."

Shinsato attended Chaminade University, where he met Amy, the daughter of a hog farmer, and graduated with a degree in biological science. Right out of school he was offered a position on a research ship, but funding was cut before he could sign his contract. So he took a job at Waikiki Aquarium, diving and taking care of the tanks.

"I didn’t like it, and Amy’s dad was looking for someone to help him," he said of his start in farming.

Amy Shinsato’s father, Shigemichi Tomei, started the Tomei hog farm in the early 1940s. The couple took over part of the operations in the late 1970s and by 2004 were running the entire farm. They changed its name to Shinsato Farm that year.

"I enjoy my work because there’s always something new to learn, and I enjoy being out in nature," Glenn Shinsato said. "I really enjoy talking to people skilled at what they do, and if it weren’t for the pigs, those chefs wouldn’t talk to me."

He says a farmer’s biggest competition is the big-box stores with their low prices because most consumers don’t realize that "cheap food isn’t necessarily good food or safe food."

"There’s a cost to cheap food, and it’s not always in dollars," he said.

Shinsato says he cooks his own pork exclusively because he knows how it was raised (on corn-based feed, never slop) and processed. For instance, his tofu pork dish is especially healthful because unlike most ground pork, Shinsato’s version is taken from the leg rather than trimmings and is 90 percent lean.

Shinsato is especially fond of tofu pork because its versatility makes it a handy dish when unexpected guests arrive just before mealtime. "Just keep adding in stuff until there’s enough to feed everyone," he said.

TOFU PORK, CHINESE STYLE
Courtesy Glenn Shinsato

2 tablespoons cooking oil, if needed for lean ground pork
2-1/2 pounds ground pork
8 ounces chicken broth
2 heaping tablespoons black bean garlic sauce (available in Asian section of supermarkets)
2 heaping tablespoons ground bean sauce (available at Asian markets)
1 heaping teaspoon chili garlic sauce, or to taste
2 (20-ounce) blocks soft tofu (can substitute with firm tofu, sliced into chunks)
1 packet dashi (powdered bonito, available in Asian section of supermarkets), if needed
1/4 cup cornstarch diluted in 1/2 cup water
3 eggs, scrambled
2 stalks green onion, sliced, for garnish

In large pot on medium-high, heat oil if using, then add pork and brown thoroughly, stirring frequently. (If not using oil, heat pan and add pork.) Add chicken broth, black bean garlic sauce, ground bean sauce and chili garlic sauce. Stir. 

Drop in tofu in large chunks. Carefully stir and taste. If necessary, sprinkle in dashi to taste and stir to incorporate.

Bring to boil and add cornstarch mixture; stir until thickened. Lower heat and simmer several minutes. 

Stir in scrambled eggs and simmer 2 more minutes. 

Serve with rice; garnish with green onion. Serves 12 to 14.

Approximate nutritional information (based on using lean pork leg, 12 servings, and no extra sauce to taste): 320 calories, 16 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 125 mg cholesterol, 700 mg sodium, 7 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 2 g sugar, 36 g protein

Approximate nutritional information per serving (based on using ground pork, 12 servings, and no extra sauce to taste): 400 calories, 30 g fat, 9 g saturated fat, 120 mg cholesterol, 700 mg sodium, 7 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 2 g sugar, 24 g protein

Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.,