I'm surprised you clicked in here, since stir-fried veggies aren't really that exciting. So often veggies are seen as a necessary evil for a balanced and healthy diet. Wouldn't it be amazing, though, if there was a veggie dish that you actually can't wait to eat? This recipe is that dish for my family.
This dish is inspired by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto's Yasai Itame in his Mastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking cookbook. I simplified the ingredients and process, as he uses more than 5 kinds of veggies and requires pre-blanching some of them beforehand. Even though my version is simple, the end result is... magical. Whenever I cooked this dish, I don't need to remind (well, actually... force) my daughter to eat her veggies. She will just keep eating and tell me how much she likes the vegetables I cook (hence my calling this dish magical).
In my version of stir-fried vegetable, I made Taiwanese cabbage the star of the dish. As I've mentioned in my Stir fry Mung Bean (Glass) Noodles With Pork Belly and Veggies post, Taiwanese cabbage has thinner, crunchier, and juicier leaves that work great in a quick stir fry. If you have't tried it before, you are definitely missing out. It's so good that after you taste it, you will find yourself going to Chinese grocery store more often just to buy the Taiwanese cabbage!
If you happen to have shallot oil from making Crispy Fried Shallots and Shallot Oil, this is a great opportunity to use it. The shallot oil will increase the depth of the flavor of this dish and make it even more delicious!
Iron Chef Inspired Stir-fried Vegetable
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil or shallot oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced
- 2 cups snow pea, string removed
- 12 oz Taiwanese Cabbage, roughly chopped
- salt
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp sake or rice cooking wine (mijiu)
- pinch of white pepper powder
- 1 tsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- Heat oil in a wok/frying pan with garlic and scallion over medium heat, until the oil is hot and the aroma comes out.
- Add carrots and stir fry for 10 second before adding snow peas and cabbage.
- Turn the heat to medium high, add a big pinch of salt and continue to cook and stir until the cabbage is softened.
- Add soy sauce, sake/rice cooking wine, white pepper powder and butter, continue to stir and cook until it reaches the desired texture. Season with salt to taste before removing it from the pan.
Notes
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