Meal Prep #1 - Batch cook 3 Japanese dishes for two in 1 hour

Your goal: Finish cooking 3 Japanese dishes for two in 1 hour

When I get back from work, I'm tired, hungry and ready for a homemade meal. Truth is, it's hard to cook when I get home. Naturally, I reach for eat24.com... So here's a series for you healthy Japanese food lovers: Japanese meal prep in 1 hour to get you 3-4 meals for two.
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Ingredients

Basics (Always in the cabinet)

• Japanese Soy Sauce
• Japanese Sake 
• Japanese Mirin
• Organic Sugar 
• Organic Salt & Pepper
• Japanese Brown Rice
• Sesame oil
• Japanese dashi stock
• Oyster sauce 

Common Ingredients:

• 2 ​Organic Onions
• 3 Organic Carrots 
  
  

Special Ingredients:

• Hayashi-Rice
  • Hayashi-Rice Curry Roux (sold in Japanese supermarkets or Amazon)
  • Mushroom (optional)
  • 1lb Thin sliced beef, chicken or pork 
  • 1 Tomato can 
• Okinawa Bitter Melon Stirfry
  • 2 egg
  • 2 Bitter Melon (Asian supermarket)
  • 1lb Thin sliced pork
• Renkon Chicken Sweet Sauce Stirfry
  • 1lb Organic Chicken
  • 2 Renkon (Asian supermarket)
  • Green onion (optional) 

1. Start chopping (~20-30min)

• Chop onions into regular slices
• Chop carrots into small bite sized slices
• Chop mushrooms as necessary
• Chop bitter melon, take out the insides and soak it in salt water for 10 min (this will reduce bitterness later)
• Chop Renkon after peeling it into bite-sized pieces. Soak into water until ready to cook.
• Chop green onion (optional)

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2. Start with the Hayashi Rice

• In a deep stew pot, throw in some olive oil or butter and start cooking the meat.
• Once the meat is cooked through throw in some onion.
• Once the onion is clear and cooked, throw in the carrots and mushrooms. 
• Once the carrots are softer, put in 1 whole tomato can.
• Wait till the tomato sauce starts bubbling. 
• While you wait, go to #3.​
• ★ The tomato sauce is bubbling. Now add 500ml of water. Put a lid on it and wait for ~15min.
• While you wait, go to #3, find the ☆ mark.
• ● Stop the heat, add the roux, mix until the roux has melted. Simmer on low heat until serving (max. 15 min).
• Go to #4.
  

3. While you wait, start the Renkon stirfry.

• In a hot pan, start heating the meat and renkon in high heat. Keep tossing every so often until thoroughly cooked.
• While you wait to go step #2, find the ★ mark.
• ☆ Start making the sauce: Mix 4 tbsp Sake, 2 tbsp sugar, 4 tbsp soy sauce and 2 tbsp mirin together.
• Add to the hot pan, lower heat and simmer w/ lid closed until ready to serve (max. 15 min simmering)
• While you wait, go to #2, find the ● mark.

4. Finally, let's cook the super antiaging bitter melon stirfry.

• In a hot pan, heat some sesame oil (if you have some) and start cooking the meat and bitter melon in medium/high heat.
• Start making the sauce: Mix 2 tbsp Sake, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tsp dashi
• Add sauce to the pan, lower heat and simmer.
• Mix eggs and add to the pan. Mix slowly. Simmer until ready to serve (max. 10 min).

​Well done! You've got yourself and a buddy 3-4 meals this week. Pack it up in containers, and enjoy for dinner, lunch or anything nice! 

Gochisōsamadeshita! (Thank you for the meal)