Everyday Chinese Vegetable Stir-Fry

Ingredients

• 0.333 cup water (or chicken stock)
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 2 tsp oyster sauce (or vegetarian oyster sauce)
• 0.25 tsp salt
• 0.25 tsp sugar
• 0.25 tsp sesame oil
• ground white pepper (1 pinch)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 ginger (slices)
• 1 cup mushrooms (sliced; button, baby bella, oyster, or shiitake)
• 1 cup carrots (thinly sliced on a diagonal; about 1 medium carrot)
• 1 cup celery (thinly sliced on a diagonal)
• 1 cup asparagus (cut into 2-inch lengths on the diagonal)
• 1 cup bell pepper (any color; de-seeded and thinly sliced; about 1/2 medium pepper)
• 1 cup long hot pepper (red or green, de-seeded and thinly sliced; about 1 pepper)
• 3 garlic (minced)
• 2 tsp cornstarch (mixed into a slurry with 1 tablespoon water)

Steps

1. 1

   In a liquid measuring cup, combine the water (or chicken stock), Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, salt, sugar, sesame oil, and white pepper. Whisk together and set aside.

2. 2

   Place a wok over medium heat. Add the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and the ginger slices. Cook until the ginger is lightly browned at the edges.

3. 3

   Add the sliced mushrooms to the wok. Stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender.

4. 4

   Add the sliced carrot, celery, asparagus, bell pepper, and long hot pepper to the wok.

5. 5

   Stir-fry the vegetables for 1 minute. Add the minced garlic and the seasoning mixture you prepared in step 1.

6. 6

   Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for about 1 minute, until the vegetables reach your desired level of tenderness.

7. 7

   In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water to create a slurry. Pour the slurry into the simmering sauce in the wok.

8. 8

   Stir-fry quickly until the sauce thickens and the vegetables are evenly coated, with just a small amount of liquid remaining. Serve immediately.

Notes

This recipe is highly adaptable. You can use specialty Chinese ingredients like lotus root, wood ears, or celtuce, but standard grocery store vegetables work perfectly. It is an excellent way to use up lingering veggie scraps at the end of the week.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• side dish
• stir-fry
• vegetable
• healthy
• quick
• Chinese
• vegetarian-option