I'll call today's recipe Basic Stir Fry.
When I lived in Okinawa, all of my neighbors were Okinawan. I shopped at the mamasan store across from my apartment building.
I was eager to learn the language and all about Japanese culture. The people in my neighborhood were friendly and happy to answer any question I had.
Many spoke some English, but I learned a lot of Japanese words by pointing and asking, "Namae?" I also learned a lot of Asian cooking from my time there.
There's not really a name for this recipe. I call it simply Stir Fry, and I have a hundred variations on this depending on what I have on hand. It's a little different from what I made in Okinawa because it's adjusted for ingredients I can easily get at my local grocery store.
I've added links for something you might not find in your local grocery. Today I'm using leftover pork roast to make this.
Basic Stir Fry
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups fresh bean sprouts (I sprout my own—a mixture of mung bean sprouts and radish)
1/2 sliced celery
1/2 cup diced onion
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger root
1 garlic clove, mashed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, optional (very flavorful, but heavy so don't use too much)1 1/2 cups cooked pork roast (or whatever cooked meat you have on hand)
1 1/4 cups chicken broth (chicken broth works for poultry or seafood—use beef broth if using beef)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
1 to 2 tablespoons Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce (See Note below.)
Instructions
1. Heat both oils in large skillet or wok
2. Toss in the carrots, celery, and onions. Saute until onion translucent.
3. Add the ginger and saute a couple of minutes then add the garlic. Saute a few minutes taking care not to burn the onion and garlic.
4. Add the sprouts. Saute only a couple of minutes.
6. Mix the cornstarch and the 2 tablespoons of cold water until disolved. Add the soy sauce, 1 tablespoon at a time. The slurry should look like the rich brown of coffee with cream. Blend well. Now stir it into the bubbling mixture.
7. The mixture will begin thickening. Stir and let it simmer a few minutes.
8. Taste and add black pepper and more soy sauce if not seasoned enough.
Serve with rice.
Note: If you want to try something special rather than the commonplace Kikkoman, you might try a Japanese Artisanal Soy Sauce Handmade in Japan, Naturally Brewed, No Additives, Non-GMO, Double Brewed, and Aged 1000 Days Aged. (630 mg of sodium per serving.
The artisinal soy sauce is $23.60 which breaks down to $1.93 per ounce. (The Kikkoman is $2.40 per ounce. 590 mg of sodium per serving.)
Takeaway Truth
The whole family loves it when I cook the dishes I learned in Okinawa. I think you might like it too.
