AI-generated image
Yasai itame
Vegetable stir-fry
Yasai itame (野菜炒め): quick Japanese stir-fry of cabbage, bean sprouts, carrot and peppers with salt and soy
Yasai itame is the dish on every teishoku menu in Tokyo's cheap lunch counters and the default weeknight vegetable in Japanese homes: cabbage, bean sprouts, carrot, peppers and onion tossed fast over a high flame with salt, pepper and a splash of soy until glossy and still crunchy. Many homes add a few slices of pork; this is the vegetable-only version, with shiitake for savouriness. Eat it with rice and miso soup. A portion is about 110 kcal. The most common mistake is crowding a cool pan, which stews the vegetables in their own water; get the pan very hot and cook in two batches if your pan is small. Chef's tip: add the bean sprouts last and cook them for only 30 seconds; they should still snap.
- Total time
- 16 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 garlic clovethinly sliced
- ⅜ in fresh gingercut into matchsticks
- ½ onionsliced
- ½ carrotcut into thin strips
- 4 fresh shiitake mushroomssliced
- 9 oz white or pointed cabbagecut into 4 cm squares
- 1 green peppersliced
- 5 ½ oz bean sproutsrinsed and drained well
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (5)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat a wok or large frying pan over a high heat until it is smoking. Add 1 tbsp sunflower oil, then 1 garlic clove and ⅜ in fresh ginger and stir for 10 seconds.
1 minStep 2: Add ½ onion, ½ carrot and 4 fresh shiitake mushrooms and toss for 1 minute, until the onion edges turn translucent.
1 minStep 3: Add 9 oz white or pointed cabbage and 1 green pepper and toss for 2 minutes, until the cabbage is glossy and just softening at the edges.
2 minStep 4: Add 5 ½ oz bean sprouts, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp ground white pepper and toss for 30 seconds.
1 minStep 5: Pour 2 tsp soy sauce around the hot edge of the wok so it sizzles, add 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, toss once more and take off the heat. The vegetables should be shiny and crisp-tender. Serve at once with rice.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 110 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does yasai itame take?
- About 16 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 6 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of garlic clove?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Black bean tacos with lime slaw
Proof that a meat-free taco night can be the best one. The beans are mashed with chipotle and cumin so they hold together in the tortilla, and a quick lime slaw adds crunch.
Mexican
Yaki onigiriGrilled rice balls
Yaki onigiri (焼きおにぎり) are rice balls grilled until they form a crisp, toasty crust, then brushed with soy sauce glaze. They are eaten all over Japan, at izakaya, at barbecues and from the freezer section, as a snack or with miso soup. The inside stays soft and steamy while the outside crackles. Best eaten hot, straight from the pan. Chef's tip: let the shaped rice balls dry for 10 minutes before they go in the pan. A drier surface forms a better crust and won't stick, and the glaze goes on only at the end so it doesn't burn.
Miso soup
Miso soup (味噌汁) is drunk every day in homes all over Japan, at breakfast as well as dinner, beside a bowl of rice. The base is dashi; this vegan version uses kombu and dried shiitake instead of bonito, which gives it a deep, rounded flavour. Silken tofu and wakame seaweed are the classic fillings. It takes ten minutes; just remember not to boil the miso. Chef's tip: add the miso at the very end and never let it boil. Boiling kills the miso's fresh, fermented aroma; Japanese cooks say the soup should only 'smile', with the surface barely trembling.