Chinese Vegetable Stir-Fry
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Quick, flavorful, and full of vibrant veggies—this Chinese-style stir-fry is the perfect healthy side or vegetarian main course.
As much as I know it’s true, I’m always amazed by how quick and easy it is to make great Chinese food at home—like this vegetable stir-fry, which features meaty shiitake mushrooms, crunchy broccoli, and sweet bell peppers in a gingery, garlicky brown sauce. To save time, buy pre-cut veggies if you can. And, like any stir-fry, have all your ingredients ready before you start cooking—it comes together fast. This dish serves four as a side, or two to three as a vegetarian main course.
“This is my go-to Chinese stir fry sauce now. It’s so easy and the whole family loves it. rn”
What You’ll Need To Make Chinese Vegetable Stir-Fry
- Soy sauce, dry sherry (or Chinese rice wine), and water: Form the base of the savory sauce.
- Sesame oil: Adds a nutty, aromatic richness to the sauce. Look for toasted (Asian) sesame oil, which is dark in color and nutty in flavor, not the light, untoasted variety.
- Sugar: Balances the flavors with a touch of sweetness.
- Dry mustard: Adds a mild tang.
- Cornstarch: Thickens the sauce for a smooth, glossy texture.
- Red pepper flakes: Adds a bit of heat and spice to the dish.
- Vegetable oil: Used for stir-frying the vegetables at high heat.
- Broccoli, shiitake mushrooms, and red bell pepper: These veggies provide a mix of crunch, earthy flavor, and sweetness, making up the bulk of the stir-fry.
- Garlic and fresh ginger: Provide fragrant, aromatic depth of flavor.
- Scallions: White/light green parts flavor the base of the dish, while the dark green parts are used as a garnish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Before you get started, chop the scallions, ginger, and garlic. You’ll need them at your fingertips once you start cooking.
Next, whisk the soy sauce, water, dry sherry, sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch, red pepper flakes and dry mustard in a small bowl. Set aside.
In a large nonstick skillet, blanch the broccoli by bringing an inch of water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook for a few minutes, until tender-crisp. Strain in a colander and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside to drain completely for perfectly cooked, bright green broccoli.
Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the skillet over high heat. Add the shiitake mushrooms and red peppers, and cook, for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are browned and the peppers have softened. Then add the garlic, light-colored scallions, and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Return the broccoli to the pan and cook until warmed through, about 1 minute.
Add the reserved sauce to the skillet and cook until it is slightly thickened and the vegetables are nicely coated. Transfer the stir-fry to a serving dish and sprinkle with the dark green scallions. Serve with rice, if desired, and enjoy!
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Chinese Vegetable Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry or Chinese rice wine
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 lb broccoli, cut into 1-in (2.5-cm) florets (or ¾ lb/340 g florets)
- 7 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced, white/light green and dark green parts separated
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (see note)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk the soy sauce, water, dry sherry, sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch, red pepper flakes and dry mustard together. Set aside.
- In a large nonstick skillet, bring 1 in (2.5-cm) of water to a rapid boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until tender-crisp. Strain the broccoli in a colander and then run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside and allow to fully drain.
- Wipe the skillet dry. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and heat over high heat. Add the shiitake mushrooms and red peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes, until the mushrooms are browned and the peppers are softened. Add the garlic, white/light green scallions, and ginger; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Return the broccoli to the pan and cook until warmed through, about 1 minute. Add the reserved sauce. Toss and cook until the sauce is thickened and the vegetables are evenly coated, about 30 seconds. Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with dark green scallions. Serve with rice, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
Comments
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This stir fry was easy to prepare and get on the table on a busy Thursday evening. The sauce is delicious and the dish is very colorful! I substituted white wine for the sherry and added some thin chopped asparagus spears with the garlic, ginger and green onions step. We served this with some brown rice.
My niece is a vegetarian so I am always on the lookout for these type of dishes. I made your vegetarian stir-fry and she loved it and has asked me to make it for her several times. I saved half the vegetables and added chicken which was delicious as well.
I did use lower soy sauce.
Thank you for sharing this recipe with all of us. 5 Stars!
This was a very basic stir-fry. The amount of cornstarch to the sauce was really off I had to quickly throw in another half a cup of water. It was just too sticky and dry. This did help it but the flavors were very basic and forgettable. A good starting point but needs to branch out flavors.
Maybe give some suggestions then? As to what you could add? Thanks.
I cut back on the cornstarch as Rebecca suggested and my sauce didn’t thicken up well. Next time I’ll go with the recipe. Turned out delicious though!!
Vibrant to look at, incredible to eat. Had 15 girlies for dinner and they ALL loved it. Recipe was easy to follow too. This is the first time I’ve ever given a review – it was THAT good. Thank you xx
This dish was the second recipe that I’ve made from this website. Both are keepers! I made this stir fry for dinner and everyone liked it. I added cooked shrimp at the end which was easy and tasty. And I appreciated the veggies – loved that they browned in the skillet before adding the sauce and the broccoli was perfectly cooked. When I asked for my family’s review, my husband said great, my teenage son gave it a thumbs up (one criticism was too many mushrooms – but he ate them all and the entire dish!) and preteen daughter said it was a keeper although not her favorite meal (she would have preferred chicken as the protein). What would I change? I used regular tamari sauce instead of low sodium, so it was a bit salty. Low sodium next time.
We have stir fry during the winter every Friday night. I prefer to change the dry sherry to Japanese premium sake, Junmai Ginjo brand. Slivered almonds and sesame seeds are added just prior to serving. Kohlrabi is a favorite vegetable to cook with the broccoli.
I love this recipe. I subsitute cremini mushrooms, which are readily available to me, and bump up the red pepper flakes to a teaspoon as I like it spicy. This is a regular now in the dinner rotation.
What would be the best way to incorporate frozen stir fry vegetables into this recipe? Should they be thawed out first?
Hi Pat, just wanted to clarify– are you planning to use only frozen veggies or do you want to use them in addition to the vegetables in the recipe?
Hi Jenn
What substitute could I use instead of the Chinese rice wine?
Hi Hunelda, you could use a dry white wine, or just leave it out.
Hi Jenn I’ve been following all your recipes. They are fantastic! I don’t have cornstarch for the chinese vegetable stirfry recipe. What is a good substitute?
Hi Joyce, So glad you’re enjoying the recipes! If you have arrowroot, you can use that.