A flexible, fast Japanese/Chinese-style vegetable side built around one simple formula: brown your chosen mushrooms first, add spinach only after the mushrooms have developed color, then finish with oyster sauce and a small amount of shoyu. The result should be mushroom-forward, glossy, savory, and free of excess liquid.
Ingredients
120g Fresh mushrooms of your choice
200g Fresh spinach
2 kosaji Salad oil
1 osaji Oyster sauce
1 kosaji Soy sauce
1 osaji Water
Steps
lengths. If convenient, keep the thicker stems separate from the leafy tops. Dry the spinach reasonably well so it does not flood the pan.
2. Heat the pan. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add 2 kosaji neutral oil. The pan should be properly hot before the mushrooms go in.
3. Brown the mushrooms first. Add the mushrooms and spread them out. Leave them mostly undisturbed for the first 1–2 minutes so they can take color, then toss occasionally. Continue until they have lost excess moisture, smell strongly mushroomy, and show some genuine golden-brown edges.
4. Add spinach stems. If you separated the stems, add them first and stir-fry for about 30 seconds.
5. Wilt the leaves. Add the remaining spinach and toss over medium-high heat for about 45–60 seconds, just until it collapses. The spinach should still look green and fresh rather than dull or watery.
6. Season. Add 1 osaji oyster sauce and 1 kosaji shoyu. Toss rapidly for about 20–30 seconds until the vegetables are lightly glazed.
7. Add water only if necessary. If the seasoning looks too concentrated or starts sticking before it coats the vegetables, add up to 1 osaji water. In many cases the spinach releases enough moisture and no extra water is needed.
8. Stop early rather than late. Remove from the heat as soon as the spinach is fully wilted and the pan no longer looks watery. Serve immediately or cool briefly for a make-ahead side.
Tamagawa Salad 