China | Vegetables | Stir Fry

Basic Vegetable Stir Fry

(Chinese stir-fried vegetables)

Yield: 4-6 servings


INGREDIENTS PREP AMOUNT
Stock or water 1/2 cup
Soy sauce 2 Tbsp
Rice wine or dry sherry (opt.)   1 Tbsp
Sugar 1 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Cornstarch 1 1/2 tsp
 
Oil, peanut or vegetable 2-3 Tbsp
Scallions minced 1 Tbsp
Garlic minced 1 clove
Ginger minced 2 tsp
Vegetable of your choice cut in equal sized pieces 1 lb
 
Sesame oil (opt.) 1 tsp

METHOD

Basic Steps:  Mix → Stir Fry → Simmer
  1. Mix first set of ingredients together for sauce in a small bowl.
  2. Heat oil over high flame in wok or large pot till shimmering. Add garlic, ginger or scallions and stir rapidly to just cook through, about 30 seconds.
  3. Add vegetables and stir fry till just starting to cook through, anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes.
  4. Turn heat to low. Swish sauce to mix in cornstarch and stir rapidly into vegetables. Let simmer 2-3 minutes to cook through.
  5. Remove from heat, stir in sesame oil and serve.

VARIATIONS

  • The ginger or garlic may be eliminated if you wish. The scallions can alternatively be cut into 1" pieces instead of being minced.
  • Add a little crushed red pepper or hot bean paste to the oil with the garlic, ginger and scallions for a little heat.
  • Add about 1-2 Tbsp of red wine vinegar or Chinese vinegar to the sauce for a sweet-sour sour flavor. You may need to add a little more sugar to balance it out.
  • Add 1-2 Tbsp of oyster sauce for green vegetables like bok choy, broccoli, mustard greens or cabbage.
  • Stir in some cubed soft tofu when simmering the sauce to have a nice vegetarian entree.

NOTES

  • Stir frying is a popular method of cooking that is most common in the southern part of China, particularly Guangdong Province and Hong Kong.
  • This is a basic recipe that works for most vegetables. It is also useful for a mixture of vegetables. When stir frying different vegetables in one dish, add the vegetable that is going to take the longest time to cook first.  Add other vegetables after the previous set is heated through. For example these vegetables would be added in the order listed: peppers, broccoli (blanched), snow peas, mushrooms.
  • Some firmer vegetables - such as broccoli, carrots, green beans - benefit from a quick blanching in boiling water before you stir fry them.
  • If the sauce gets too thick, just add some water to thin it out a bit. The sauce should form a light gravy binding the ingredients together.