Yasai Itame (Vegetable Stir-Fry)

Vegetable Stir-Fry (Yasai Itame)

Recipe by Caroline Phelps

Yasai itame is Japanese for vegetable stir fry. It's a relatively healthy dish that's simple and quick to prepare. Yasai itame is usually made with thinly sliced pork but since my husband loves spicy sausages, I made this one using small Berkshire links. There's very little cooking and seasoning involved other than chopping, stir frying the veggies and adding a little soy, and black pepper. This easy recipe pairs really well with a hot bowl of freshly cooked Japanese rice.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings


Ingredients

• 1 medium size carrot, cut into thin strips
• 1/2 small cabbage, chopped bite size
• 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• about 2 cups, sprouts
• 2 Berkshire sausages (optional. The traditional recipe is usually made with pork), thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil (or other neutral oil)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Ajinomoto (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. In a large pan over high heat, add the sausages and cook for 2 minutes. Add cabbage, carrots and both green and red bell peppers. Cook for about 5 minutes, until cabbage has soften and charred just a little bit. Add sprouts and cook for a minute. 
2. Add soy, a sprinkle of Ajinomoto and cook for another minute. 
3. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.