THE JAPAN NEWS


 

In cooking for one person, vegetables can present a problem. It is hard to use up a whole cabbage or a carrot, and unused portions tend to stack up in the refrigerator. It also can be tedious to peel and cut vegetables every day.

Cooking expert Eiko Yanagisawa has the answer: Marinate or season chopped ingredients and keep them in the fridge.
“Prepare vegetable dishes when you have time,” she said. “You can consume them daily if you chop vegetables all at once and serve them as side dishes later.”

Yanagisawa uses vinegar and togarashi red chili peppers when making side dishes. Vinegar helps vegetables stay fresh longer and makes them easy to consume even when you lose your appetite due to summer fatigue.
The red chilis inhibit the growth of bacteria, and its vivid color and hot flavor can stimulate your appetite.

For example, when vinegared tomatoes are served with pork saute, the meat’s greasy flavor can be offset by the seasoning and the dish can be refreshing to the taste. Seasoned mushrooms, another side dish, are great when served with grilled fish or sauteed meat.

 

“If you put fish or meat on a plate alone, the dish seems to lack something,” she said. “In contrast, a generous serving of vegetables makes the dish more attractive and nutritiously balanced.”

The seasoned mushrooms — inspired by namul, or Korean seasoned vegetable dishes — can be placed on top of rice in a bowl or become a type of Italian-style aglio olio peperoncino when mixed with pasta.
Garlic powder is the key as it accentuates the taste of mushrooms. Using powder avoids the chore of mincing garlic and it brings out the aroma in the same way.

Vegetables can also be made into a hearty and appetizing sauce with great aroma and refreshing taste. The sauce is excellent for summer dishes when poured on cold tofu or added to dipping sauce for somen noodles. Even if you have nothing else to cook when you arrive home, the stored sauce goes well with rice.

 

“Vegetable side dishes can be arranged in many ways and work well with any type of food, depending on your mood or appetite,” Yanagisawa said.
Recipes for veggie side dishes
Vinegared tomatoes

 

Roughly chop one medium tomato and put in a container. Pour 50cc of vinegar and an equivalent amount of water into a heatproof cup and leave for 1½ minutes in a 600-watt microwave oven. Pour the mixture into the container to marinate.
Seasoned mushrooms

Take one pack each of shimeji and enoki mushrooms, remove the root ends and separate into small batches. Cut one slice of bacon into short strips. Put the ingredients into a heatproof container and add one finely chopped togarashi red chili pepper and a pinch each of salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cook the ingredients in a 600-watt microwave for 3 minutes. After removing from the microwave add 1 teaspoon each of olive oil and vinegar.
Hearty veggie sauce

Chop four thin green onions, two okra, five shiso leaves and three myoga ginger buds. Put them in a container and add 3 grams sliced of shiokombu (thin strips of kombu cooked with soy sauce, salt and other seasonings) and 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Leave for about 10 minutes. As it has not been heated, consume within a couple of days.