~ Stir-Fried Vegetables ~
Serves 4
Japanese stir-fries focus on the pure natural taste of the vegetables and
therefore tend to be seasoned more lightly than stir-fries from other parts
of Asia. Enjoy this colorful mix with hot cooked brown rice for a healthy,
fiber-rich meal. If you want to make it strictly vegetarian, you can omit
the dashi and use the mushroom soaking water instead.
8 ounces extra firm tofu
8 dried shiitake mushrooms
1/4 cup dashi (page 52)
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons sake
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons rice bran oil
1 medium yellow onion, peeled, halved, and cut intothin crescents
2 medium carrots, trimmed, peeled, and diagonally cutinto thin slices
1 medium Yukon gold potato (about 1/2 pound), diagonally halved, each half
cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/2 pound string beans, trimmed and diagonally cut in half
1 yellow summer squash, trimmed and diagonally halved, each half diagonally
thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into thin strips
1. Rinse the tofu under cold water. Drain and cut into small dice.
2. Place the shiitake mushrooms in a small bowl and add 2 cups of water.
Let soak for 20 minutes. Remove 1/4 cup of the mushroom soaking water (or
1/2 cup if making a vegetarian version) and place in a small bowl. Blend
in the dashi (omit if making the vegetarian version), 1 tablespoon of the
soy, the sake, and the salt. Add several grinds of pepper to this seasoning
mixture.
3. Drain the mushrooms, squeeze gently to remove excess water. Cut off
the stems. Cut each cap into thin slices.
4. Heat the oil in a wok or large sautÈ pan over high heat. Add
the onion and shiitake caps and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the carrots
and potato slices and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Stir in half of the seasoning
mixture and cook for 4 minutes.
5. Add string beans, yellow summer squash, and remaining seasoning mixture.
Continue stir-frying the vegetables for 6 more minutes, or until the potatoes
are cooked through and most (if not all) of the seasoning liquid has evaporated.
Add the tofu, red pepper, and the remaining tablespoon of soy. Toss to
mix, and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Transfer to a large serving bowl.
Excerpted from Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat by
Naomi Moriyama and William Doyle. Copyright © 2005 by Naomi Moriyama
and William Doyle .