Mentaiko Potato Stir-fry: A Burst of Flavor!
Easy Home-Style Side Dish: Mentaiko Potato Stir-fry Recipe
Introducing ‘Mentaiko Potato Stir-fry,’ a delicious home-style side dish you can whip up in no time with humble potatoes from your fridge! Simply stir-frying tender potatoes and adding a touch of savory, low-salt mentaiko (pollock roe) elevates the dish to a whole new level of deliciousness. You’ll love the delightful pop of the mentaiko and its perfectly salty flavor that pairs wonderfully with rice, making it a true ‘rice thief’! Enjoy a simple yet special meal with this recipe.
Main Ingredients
- 2 Potatoes
- 1 Low-salt Mentaiko (pollock roe)
- 1/4 Green onion
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, prepare all the ingredients for your delicious Mentaiko Potato Stir-fry. Wash the potatoes thoroughly and ensure the mentaiko is ready (defrost if necessary).
Step 2
To eliminate any potential fishy smell from the mentaiko and enhance its savory notes, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cooking wine over it and let it sit for about 10 minutes. This step significantly improves the mentaiko’s flavor.
Step 3
To ensure a pleasant texture when stir-fried, cut the potatoes into relatively thick matchsticks, about 0.5cm thick. Cutting them too thin can cause them to break apart during cooking, so maintaining a good thickness is key.
Step 4
Sprinkle 0.5 tablespoon of coarse salt over the julienned potatoes and mix well. Let them sit for about 10 minutes to draw out moisture and season the potatoes. This process helps maintain the potatoes’ crispiness and prevents them from clumping together when stir-fried.
Step 5
Make a long incision down the center of the mentaiko that was soaked in cooking wine. Then, use a spoon or knife to gently scrape out the roe from the casing, separating the eggs from the membrane. Be gentle to keep the roe grains intact. Finely mince the green onion to add a fragrant aroma.
Step 6
Rinse the salted potatoes under running water to remove excess salt. Drain them thoroughly in a colander, ensuring all excess water is removed. This is crucial for preventing oil splatters during cooking and helps the potatoes achieve a crispier texture.
Step 7
Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add a generous amount of cooking oil. Add the drained potato matchsticks. Stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes until the edges of the potatoes start to turn slightly translucent. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and let the potatoes steam for 5-8 minutes. This steaming process ensures the potatoes cook through and become tender.
Step 8
Once the potatoes are tender, add the prepared mentaiko roe to the pan. Mentaiko can become dry and crumbly if overcooked, so it’s best added towards the end of the cooking process.
Step 9
Gently toss the potato matchsticks and mentaiko together for another 1-2 minutes, allowing them to combine harmoniously. Stir-frying gently helps coat the potatoes with the mentaiko for an even more delicious result.
Step 10
Finally, turn off the heat. Add the minced green onion, a pinch of black pepper, 0.5 tablespoon of sesame oil, and toasted sesame seeds. Give it a final gentle toss using the residual heat from the pan. Your Mentaiko Potato Stir-fry, with its delightful popping texture and savory flavor, is now complete! Enjoy it with a warm bowl of rice!
