Chinese Stir Fry Vegetables

Ever wonder how they make vegetables in Chinese restaurants so delectable with that umami savoriness. It maybe a simple dish, but its packed with so much flavor, nutrition and amazing texture. It’s my favorite ways to eat veggies. So I was determined to learn how to make stir fry veggies like the Chinese restaurants at home with that essential umami called Wok Hei, meaning ‘breath of wok‘. Veggies cooked this way look vibrant, retain maximum nutrients & flavor, crisp texture and that umami savoriness that we all love. Pair it with any Asian meal as a side or add some protein and make a quick meal with rice or noodles. The best part is you don’t need an inferno like flame to achieve that restaurant flavor. YAY!

This recipe serves 2 as a main meal or 4 as a side dish and can easily be doubled. It is a little extra work thats why I recommend making a double batch. it may seem like a lot of veggies, but trust me you want to make a large batch. I ate half the veggies straight from the wok. This recipe also makes an excellent meal prep idea for busy weekdays that you can cook up a fresh dinner in minutes.

I’ve divided the process in 5 steps, the detailed directions are first then the ingredients so you understand the process, its not complicated but once you’ve got the prep work it moves very fast and I promise it will become a staple in your dinner rotation. Plus it’s faster than ordering a Chinese takeout. Use any seasonal veggie combo, but I’ve gone with the classics.

1. Prep the vegetables
2. Blanch the vegetables
3. Prep the sauce
4. Sauté the garlic and cook the sauce 
5. Stir fry the vegetables

PREP THE VEGGIES 

Firstly make sure all your veggies are fresh.

Broccoli. Cut the stem off close to the head, some of the bigger florets will fall off. Cut wedges of the more tender part which is up-to 2 inches below the florets. It’s  is full of flavor. Discard the lowest part of the stem this is usually hard and fibrous.

Cauliflower. do the same as the broccoli, Cut the cauliflower in half from the top of the crown through the stem, remove the leaves and the Woody hard stem. The large florets will naturally fall off from the core, then using the tip of the knife to slice the large floret into bite-size pieces.

Snap Peas, Asparagus, Green Beans. Snap the fibrous ‘string of the snap peas. Simply snap the end of the peas, pull along the pod all the way to the other end until it separates from the snap pea. For asparagus cutoff couple of inches of the woody end and slice the spear end of the stalk into 2 inch pieces. Green beans, trim the ends and slice to your desired size, I prefer 2 inch pieces.

Carrots. Peel off the skin of the carrots, wash. Cut the carrots into one inch wedges by slicing it at an angle turning it a quarter after each slice..

Bell Peppers. Cut the top and bottom off. Remove the inside core and seeds. Dice the red or yellow pepper into large square pieces including the the top and bottom half. 

Mushrooms For mushrooms, I prefer shiitakes, remove the stem If it’s hard and woodsy and slice the mushrooms, use the stems if they are tender.

Greens I prefer green cabbage, bok choy, Choi sum, broccolini or, gailan. Wash the greens, slice into 1-2 inch pieces, I like to cut green cabbage into 1 inch wedges and add it directly to the sauce. The residual heat will cook them well. Don’t blanch the greens or mushrooms. 

BLANCHING 

• Brings a large pot of water to a boil. Double the amounts of veggies so they can freely move around. Place cold water with ice cubes if needed in a seperate large bowl.
• When the water has come to a boil first add the carrot wedges to the water. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes depending on the thickness of the carrots. 
• Once the carrot pieces are half way cooked, add cauliflower and broccoli florets into the water.  Keeping the water at a consistent boil, cook these two veggies for two minutes.
• Now add the snap peas, asparagus and boil for a one minute. Green beans will need 2 minutes.
• To check the doneness of the veggies, use a fork and pierce into a broccoli florets. The broccoli and cauliflower are done when the fork can slide in and out easily.
• The peppers need 10 seconds.
• Drain the vegetables after blanching drop the vegetables into the ice bath.  Stir so the veggies cool all the way. Drain completely. You could store the veggies in the fridge for later use. Or proceed to the next step.

MAKE THE SAUCE

Add all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and set aside. Add salt as needed, (I find the oyster sauce has enough salt for my taste) Mix well again before pouring into the pan, the cornstarch tends to settle to the bottom. 

You can stop at this point, save the veggies and sauce in the fridge for later. Simply keep them in a covered dish and use within 3-4 days.

STIR FRY THE VEGGIES

• Heat oil in the wok or a large frying pan. I prefer rice bran or avocado oil. 
• Next add one tablespoon of chopped garlic, ginger and saute over low heat until it’s aromatic. Stir the garlic around it tends to stick and burn quickly. (Add the mushrooms and/ greens if using now. stir fry for 1-2 minutes till bright green and partially cooked).
• Dissolve the sauce if it has settled to the bottom of the bowl.
• Add the prepared sauce to the garlic and mix continuously, the sauce will thicken and turn glossy.
• Add the veggies to the stir-fry sauce and continue mixing for another 30 seconds till the veggies are coated with the sauce and glossy. Serve right away. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups about 200 gms fresh organic broccoli
• 2 cups about 200 gms fresh organic cauliflower
• 1 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms 
• 1 large about 100 grams organic fresh carrot
• 1 cup snap peas also called snow peas or baby peas
• 1 red or yellow bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger (optional)
• 1-2 tablespoons rice bran or any good vegetable oil with high smoking point

The sauce

• ½ teaspoon coconut or regular sugar
• a few turns of white pepper
• ½-1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
• 1 tablespoon vegan mushroom oyster sauce or regular oyster sauce (use to your taste preference)
• ½-1 teaspoon Umami seasoning powder, I used Trader Joe’s, but there are many brands out there. I like this one Umami Seasoning
• ½-1 teaspoon corn starch 
• 3-4 tablespoons water or veggie broth 
• ** I don’t add any salt, the sauce and seasonings have plenty of salt