Japaneses – style Vegetable Stir – fry

This is a light vegetarian dish seasoned with light soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sugar, toasted sesame seeds and sesame seed oil. It can be served as a main dish or as a side dish.

As with any stir-fried vegetable dish, it is important to keep the vegetables crisp. To make sure not to overcook them, stir-fry over very high heat and only for a few minutes. The vegetables that takes longest to cook should go first into the skillet. The second that takes longest to cook should go next, and so on, and so forth.

Since the process of stir-frying only takes a few minutes, it is also important to have all the ingredients prepared before actual cooking begins.

Black chinese mushrooms are available in most supermarkets dried or fresh.

Ingredients :

half a head of cabbage, shredded
1 carrot, cut into rings
1/4 k. of chicharo (snow peas), ends and sides trimmed
6 pcs. of black chinese mushrooms
1 tbsp. of finely minced garlic
2 onions, halved and sliced
1 thumb-sized pc. of ginger, sliced thinly
1/4 c. of light soy sauce
1 tbsp. of sugar
1 tsp. of toasted sesame seeds
1/2 tsp. of sesame seed oil
1 tbsp. of Worcestershire sauce
coarsely ground black pepper
2 tbsp. of vegetable oil

Cooking procedure :

If using dried mushrooms, soak in warm water for 20 minutes. Cut off the stems and discard. Cut the caps into quarters.

Mix together the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sugar and sesame seed oil.

Heat a large skillet or work. Pour in the oil. The heat should be set to high all throughout the cooking. When it starts to smoke, add the ginger and the black pepper; saute until fragrant. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the onions and the carrots and cook for a minute. Add the shredded cabbage and the chicaro (snow peas) and cook for a minute and half or just until the cabbage starts to soften. Add the mushrooms and pour in the soy sauce mixture. Cook, stirring for another 30 to 45 seconds. Turn off the heat, add the toasted sesame seeds and stir a few times.

Serve at once.