Vegetable Stir-Fry with Garlic Sauce
A colorful mix of vegetables stir-fried over high heat and coated in a quick garlic, soy and ginger sauce. Fully vegetarian and ready in about 25 minutes.
Equipment
- Wok or large (12-inch / 30 cm) skillet with a lid
- Small mixing bowl
- Whisk or fork
Ingredients
Garlic sauce
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth 120 ml, low-sodium
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce use tamari for gluten-free
- 1 tablespoon vegetarian oyster-style sauce mushroom-based, in the Asian section of the international aisle; check the label; or use 2 tsp extra soy sauce plus 1 tsp extra sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Stir-fry
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil such as peanut, canola or vegetable oil, divided
- 1 medium head broccoli cut into small florets, about 3 cups / 300 g
- 1 medium carrot peeled and thinly sliced on the diagonal
- 2 tablespoons water for steaming
- 1 large red bell pepper cut into thin strips
- 1 cup snap peas or snow peas about 100 g, trimmed
- 3 green onions whites and greens sliced and kept separate
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger finely grated
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds optional, to garnish
- cooked rice or noodles to serve
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the vegetable broth, soy sauce, vegetarian oyster-style sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, cornstarch and sesame oil until no lumps of cornstarch remain. Set it next to the stove.
- Prepare all the vegetables before you turn on the heat, keeping the green onion whites and greens separate.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the neutral oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat until it shimmers. Add the broccoli and carrot and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
- Add the 2 tablespoons water, cover and let the vegetables steam for 1 to 2 minutes, until the broccoli is bright green and just tender when pierced with a knife.
- Uncover, add the bell pepper, snap peas and green onion whites and stir-fry for 2 minutes, until the pepper softens slightly at the edges but still has crunch.
- Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the center, then the garlic and ginger. Stir them in the oil for about 30 seconds, until fragrant but not browned, then toss everything together.
- Whisk the sauce again, since the cornstarch settles, and pour it into the pan. Toss for 1 to 2 minutes, until the sauce bubbles, thickens and turns glossy.
- Take the pan off the heat, scatter over the green onion greens and sesame seeds, and serve straight away over rice or noodles.
Notes
Vegetarian sauce: regular oyster sauce is made from oysters, so use a mushroom-based vegetarian oyster-style sauce, or leave it out and add 2 tsp extra soy sauce and 1 tsp extra sugar.
Add protein: fold in pan-fried tofu cubes or a handful of cashews with the sauce.
Gluten-free: use tamari and check that your vegetarian oyster-style sauce is labelled gluten-free.