Get ready to try your ‘skillet’ Japanese cooking

Awhile back, we were planning to go see a movie with some friends of ours, and they suggested a sushi place for dinner beforehand.

Joey and I were a bit nervous, because we hadn’t ever delved into the world of sushi before, but we trusted our friends, so we decided to give it a try.

For me, I’m not a big fan of fish unless it’s fried or it’s some kind of shellfish, so the idea of eating something raw did not thrill me much.

Lucky for me, there was a lot of non-fish items on the menu, and I landed on trying some hibachi vegetables. They were delicious, so of course, I decided I had to figure out how to make them at home.

I did some hunting online until I found a recipe that looked extremely similar to what I had at the Japanese restaurant, and it looked super easy.

The recipe I found is from the blog “The Cooking Jar.” You can find it at https://thecookingjar.com/hibachi-vegetables/. I added lots of extra garlic in my version.

Japanese Hibachi Vegetables

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 tablespoon high-heat oil (I used vegetable)

1 small yellow onion, cut in 1-inch pieces

4 to 5 cloves garlic, minced

1 zucchini, cut in 2-inch strips

2 to 3 carrots, thinly sliced

2 cups broccoli florets

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce

salt and pepper to taste

a sprinkling of sesame seeds

Directions

In a large skillet, melt the butter and heat the oil over medium-high heat.

Once it’s hot, toss in the onions and saute until they’re slightly browned and softened.

Toss in the garlic and saute for a couple minutes until it’s fragrant.

Toss in the rest of the vegetables, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Keep sauteing, stirring regularly, until the vegetables are cooked to your liking. Add more salt and pepper if necessary.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.

I managed to overbuy on my vegetables quite a bit and had a huge container of leftovers in the refrigerator. While the colors of the zucchini and broccoli weren’t nearly as pretty the next day, the flavors were still spot on.

I also made a package of ramen without the seasoning packet, drained it, and dressed it with a little soy sauce, teriyaki, salt and pepper to have on the side with my vegetables, and it was an awesome addition.

Since my first visit to the sushi restaurant, I have delved into some vegetarian sushi rolls just to try them out, but I haven’t been brave enough to go for the fish just yet.

Of course, I’d also have to give up ordering some deliciously rich-flavored hibachi vegetables, and I haven’t been willing to do that, but maybe now that I know how to make them myself, I’ll feel braver exploring the menu.

Lindsey Young is co-owner of Kansas Publishing Ventures which publishes the Free Press. She is also the Free Press Office Manager.

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