Chinese Vegetable Stir-Fry
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Filled with meaty shiitakes, crunchy broccoli, and sweet bell peppers, this Chinese vegetable stir-fry always satisfies.
As much as I know it’s true, I’m always amazed by how quick and easy it is to make excellent Chinese food at home. This Chinese vegetable stir-fry is filled with meaty shiitake mushrooms, crunchy broccoli, and sweet bell peppers in a gingery, garlicky brown sauce. Go ahead and buy your veggies ready-cut if possible to minimize prep time. And, as with any stir-fry, be sure to have all of your ingredients ready before you start cooking because it comes together quickly. The dish easily serves four as a side but if you’re making it as a vegetarian main course, count on two or three servings.
What you’ll need to make a Chinese Vegetable Stir-Fry
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, bring 1 inch of water to a rapid boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until tender-crisp. (Blanching the broccoli ensures that it is perfectly cooked and bright green.)
Strain the broccoli in a colander and then run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside and allow to fully drain.
Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the skillet over high heat. Add the shiitake mushrooms and red peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes, until the mushrooms are browned and the peppers are softened.
Add the garlic, light-colored scallions, and ginger and 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 slightly thickened and the vegetables are evenly coated, about 30 seconds.
Transfer 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
Filled with meaty shiitakes, crunchy broccoli, and sweet bell peppers, this Chinese vegetable stir-fry always satisfies.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup soy sauce (use gluten-free if needed)
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry or Chinese rice wine
- 1 teaspoon Asian/toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound broccoli, cut into 1-inch florets (or ¾ pound 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 inch of water to a rapid boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 2-3 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 5-6 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.
- Note: Check out easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger here.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Serving size: About 1-1/4 cups
- Calories: 173
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Sugar: 7 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Sodium: 1240 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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.
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This was really good and easy, great for a weeknight meal! Thanks for sharing.
Made this last night with brown rice for my teenage daughter who is a vegetarian and we both loved it! She suggested we try it next time with tofu. What do you think, Jenn?
Glad you enjoyed it! I think tofu would be a great addition here and a nice way to make it a meal.
Hey Jenn,
How is Asian sesame oil different from sesame oil?
Hi Kiki, They are slightly different; regular sesame oil is made from raw sesame seeds whereas Asian sesame oil is made from toasted seeds, so it has a much richer, deeper flavor. Because this recipe calls for just a tsp. of Asian sesame oil, it won’t significantly affect the outcome if you use regular sesame oil. Enjoy!
Great recipe! Changed the veggies and added chicken but did not change the sauce. We loved it!
Delicious. The highlight for me was the sesame oil in the sauce. I will use shiitake mushrooms next time (and remember to get ginger!).
This came out way too salty. I think I should have used low sodium soy sauce.
I double checked my ingredients and measurements.
I had the same experience using regular soy sauce. I typically salt everything, so when something is too salty for me, then it’s pretty darned salty. Low sodium soy sauce may, or may not, be the answer here; but, I’ll try it before passing judgment on this recipe.
Just wanted to point out that there is no added salt in this recipe. The major source of salt would come from the soy sauce. So using low sodium soy sauce would likely make a difference. And/or reduce the volume of soy sauce. Also the quantities used here do not seem to be exceptional. Anyway, taste is a very personal thing!
Way too salty!! I used the low-sodium soy sauce, and it was still entirely too salty. Also, the sauce was too thick and gooey, and I followed the recipe exactly. With the gooey and the salt, I had to add water just to make it edible. Yuck!
Made this last night and we loved it. We used different veggies but made the sauce exactly per the recipe and followed the instructions. My only question is on the garlic. The ingredients list says “3 cloves garlic”. Is your intention for them to be added whole? I chopped mine up fine before adding along with the green onion and ginger. Another great keeper of a recipe. The sauce is wonderful.
Thanks for catching that, Beverly – the garlic should be chopped. So glad you enjoyed it!
We made this Chinese Vegetable Stir-Fry tonight for dinner. It is DELICIOUS!!! Love that we know exactly what is going into the dish (as compared to take-out). We prepared a spicy shrimp dish and brown rice to accompany. Thank you for this recipe. We will definitely put it in our regular rotation.
Hi! Can’t wait to try it but would love more veggies in this dish. What else do you suggest (was thinking kale or bok choy). Any tips would be helpful. Thanks!
Hi Uzma I think bok choy would be a nice addition here. You could also consider adding thinly sliced carrots or some water chestnuts for a little bit of crunch. I’d love to hear how you tweak it!
Looking forward to making this Jen. I would like to add shrimp. Would it be best to add them with the garlic, ginger and scallions?
Hi Kathleen, Once you add the garlic, ginger and scallions there’s only another 1-2 minutes of cook time so I’d probably add them a little before. For large shrimp, you’d need to allow 3-4 minutes total cook time.
This looks great! I’d like to add beef or chicken to it as a main dish. What’s the best way to do this?
Hi Elizabeth, I’d sauté the chicken in a bit of oil separately and then add it at the end with the broccoli. That way you can be sure it doesn’t overcook.