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.

Japanese Potato Salada

Potato Salad (Japanese)

Recipe by Caroline Phelps

Japanese potato salads are a little sweet and tangy, which I love since every bite seems to taste different. I've pickled the cucumber for this recipe with a little salt and sugar. This softens the texture and gives it zing. The flavors blend really well together, making this a personal favorite. Serve as a side to chicken katsu and you have yourself and very traditional and homely Japanese meal.

Ingredients

• 2 medium size potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 medium size carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 thumb size ginger, peeled and grated
• 1/2 English cucumber, cut in 1/4 lengthwise, finely chopped
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp sake
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Boil potatoes and carrots until tender but still a little firm. 
2. In a bowl, pour a little salt and sugar over the cucumbers (about 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp sugar), mix with your fingers and leave to marinate for about 15-20 minutes. Drain and squeeze the excess water from the cucumber, rinse quickly under cold water and squeeze again. 
3. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, carrots and ginger. 
4. With a potato masher, mash about 1/2 of the mixture, add cucumber, mayonnaise, sake, sugar, salt and pepper and mix well with a spoon or spatula. 
5. Adjust taste and texture (by adding more mayo) to your liking. Serve.

Vegetables 'oden' style

When I am in Japan in the fall or winter,

I often go to a convenience store for Oden. Oden is a very

simple dish consisting of vegetables, eggs, 'konyaku', cooked

in a light soy based or kombu based broth. I've added some

garlic and ginger to mine to give it a bit of a twist.

(serves 2)

Ingredients:

- 4 carrots, roughly chopped

- 1/2 lb daikon, roughly chopped

- 1 onion, roughly chopped

- 1 shallot, finely chopped

- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

- 1 tbsp ginger, finely grated

- 2 cup water

- 2 tsp granulated sugar

- 5 tbsp soy

- 1 tsp powdered dashi

- 1 tbsp cooking sake 

- 2 tbsp mirin

- 2 tbsp neutral oil (canola, grapeseed)

Directions:

Do your prep first, have all of your vegetables ready.In a pot over medium heat, add oil, ginger, garlic and shallot. Cook for 2 minutes and add onions. Cook for about 5 minutes, until onions are translucent.

Add carrots and daikon, and cook for 2 minutes. Add water, stir, add dashi, sake, mirin, sugar and soy, stir well. Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes (until daikon and carrots are soft). 

Serve in small bowls with rice.