Vegetable Stir-Fry

A blend of colorful vegetables, a handful of ingredients and sauces, this vegetable stir-fry comes together in 15 minutes. 

Slightly saucy, full of flavor and perfect as an appetizer or to serve with steamed rice or noodles. 

Asian dishes are always loved in our household. Whether it is rice or noodles, they make an appearance at least once on our menu each week.

Along with the mains there are also appetizers, soups and sometimes even desserts that are inspired from Asian dishes. 

The love has been for years when I was a kid to now my toddler who loves Bao and Dumplings along with noodles.

Jump to:

• What is Vegetable Stir-Fry
• What inspired this recipe
• Why this recipe works
• Ingredients and Substitutions
• How to make this recipe
• Expert Tips and Notes
• Recipe FAQs
• Pairings
• More Asian recipes to try
• Easy Vegetable Stir-Fry

What is Vegetable Stir-Fry

A quick appetizer or main dish made with a truckload of vegetables, some sauces and minimal spices; this stir-fry is super delicious.

What was earlier a household recipe has now made an appearance of restaurant menus in India for folks seeking a warm salad that is not full of carb or added creamy dressings.

This stir-fry can be served as a salad, it makes a great appetizer and a side for steamed rice or noodles. 

Have leftover stir fry? Use it the next day to make some hot and sour soup. Add water or stock to the veggies and boil it. Then add some additional corn starch slurry and thicken the soup. Serve! It is THAT simple. 

What inspired this recipe

My mom made some the finest Asian dishes back then and I try to replicate so many of them with little success. 

The dishes she made were no way authentic and never had ingredients like MSG, sichuan peppers, five spice seasoning, stir fry sauce etc.

Our Indian pantry had the basic vinegar, soy sauce and chili sauce. Those combined with some salt, sugar and black pepper went into the dishes. Yet, the food was always delicious. It was not like the restaurants but it was always comforting.

This stir fry recipe is from that collection of Asian inspired dishes. It does not have any special ingredients, it has a mix of household spices, sauces and whatever vegetables you have in the refrigerator. 

Honestly, this stir fry was my mom's way to make sure we eat enough veggies for the week in one meal! And now it comes handy with my toddler. 

Why this recipe works

• It is super quick and easy to make. Ready in under 30 minutes, this recipe is one of the quickest Asian recipes to make.
• This stir-fry has to be my favorite way to clean the fridge at the end of the week! Use up the vegetables still in the refrigerator before refilling and each time a new combination brings new flavor to the recipe.
• This recipe is also a great way to eat a truck load of veggies in one meal. Colorful, flavorful and a great mix of crunchy vegetables.
• This makes a perfect dish for meal prep. Just chop the vegetables and keep them ready. Stir-fry them in about 15 minutes to have a great meal.
• The dish is also great as a complete meal. I often serve it with steamed rice for a meal. Plus, it is a great appetizer while the mains are getting ready. 
• An easy to customize recipe, this one can be made with just vegetables or with added protein. Tofu and panner would be great vegetarian proteins to add to the vegetables. It is also great with some roasted pecans and almond slivers. 
• Moreover, it is easy to make it for toddlers and kids. Just reduce the amount of heat and you have a kids friendly dish ready in no time.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Vegetables: The recipe is made with a lot of vegetables. That is the base of the recipe. I have used fresh cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, green beans, mushrooms, cabbage, peppers and scallions. I use canned baby corn and chestnuts but fresh ones work too. However, adding other vegetables like asparagus, snap peas, jalapeños and red cabbage is a great option too. Skip the ones you do not have or dislike. 
• Garlic: Garlic is great for flavor. It is great to have in the recipe but if you do not like it, skip it. Though the recipe will not taste the same, it will still be good. Adding some ginger in the recipe is a great idea too. 
• Sauces: We use soy sauce and vinegar in the recipe. Dark soy sauce is great for the glaze and taste. A mix of light and dark can be used too. Vinegar is used for flavor. White or Mirin vinegar works. If you like the stir fry spicy, add some hot sauce. It is not a required ingredient.
• Corn Starch: We use a slurry of corn starch and water. It helps make the stir-fry slightly saucy and of a great texture. While corn starch works the best, the recipe can be made with corn flour, rice flour or even tapioca starch mixed with water.
• Apart from these ingredients we also use salt and sesame oil. The amount of salt will depend on how salty the soy sauce is. The oil can be replaced by any vegetable oil but sesame works the BEST for Asian recipes.

See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information, measurements and nutrition.

How to make this recipe

1- Add corn starch, soy sauce, vinegar, salt and water in a bowl.

2- Make sure there are no lumps and set aside.

3- In a bowl boil 3-4 cups of water. Once it boils add green beans, broccoli and cauliflower and baby corn and boil for 2-3 minutes.

4- Turn down the heat and transfer the vegetables to a fine mesh sieve. Set aside.

5- In a thick bottom pan or wok heat oil till it is smoking. 

6- Then add garlic and sauté. Let it turn light brown. 

7- Then add the peppers and sauté for a minute. 

8- Add carrots, mushrooms and scallions followed by cabbage. 

9- Add in the blanched vegetables and chestnuts and mix well. 

10- Transfer the cornstarch slurry to the pan and mix well till it coats the vegetables. 

11- Mix everything well and cook till the sauce is glossy.

12- Finally, turn off the flame and serve topped with scallions.

Expert Tips and Notes

• Cut the vegetables in fun shapes to make this stir-fry. While they should still be similar size I like to make them in different shapes. Logs of beans, flat carrots, cauliflower and broccoli florets and so on.
• Adding proteins or other vegetables and nuts is an option too. Tofu, paneer or even tempeh will work great in the recipe. Plus, we can also add cashews or slivered almonds in the stir-fry.
• Corn starch makes the sauce thick. However, it can be replaced with corn flour, rice flour or tapioca starch too.
• The prepared vegetable stir-fry keeps well for 3-4 days in the refrigerator making it a great meal prep recipe. Reheat in the microwave for a couple of minutes before serving.

Recipe FAQs

Pairings

More Asian recipes to try

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