Ingredients
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce, plus 2 Tsp., divided
2 tsp. sugar, divided
2 Tbsp. Mirin (Japanese rice cooking wine), divided, or non-fat, reduced-
sodium chicken broth plus a pinch of sugar
1/2 tsp. minced scallion (optional)
1/4 tsp. minced ginger (optional)
1 cup thinly-sliced chicken, meat, or fish
1 tsp. cornstarch
2-3 Tbsp. peanut or canola oil
1 cup cut-up green vegetable, e.g. snow peas, string beans, broccoli
1 cup cut-up red or orange vegetable, e.g. carrot, bell pepper, red onion
1 cup cut-up light-colored vegetable, e.g. bok choy, onion, zucchini
3 cups steamed rice (preferably brown)
Preparation
In a shallow pan, mix together 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 tsp. sugar, 1 tablespoon Mirin, the scallion and ginger. Add chicken and marinate 10-30 minutes, then drain and pat dry with paper toweling. (Discard used marinade, which should never be reused, as it may be contaminated by potentially harmful bacteria and could lead to food-borne illness.)
Meanwhile, mix together in a small bowl or cup the remaining soy sauce, Mirin and sugar with the cornstarch until well blended. Set aside to use later.
Heat pan until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon of oil, or enough to stir-fry meat, and heat until very hot. Add meat and stir-fry until it turns color. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside.
Using small amounts of oil as needed, stir-fry vegetables. Do not overcrowd the pan; cook in batches if necessary, starting with those that take the longest to cook. Transfer cooked vegetables to a covered dish to keep warm. When all the vegetables are tender-crisp, add back to the pan any that were removed and the meat. Stir the sauce to recombine and add, stirring until sauce thickens. Serve immediately with steamed rice.
