To build and maintain a vegetable forward diet, you need fast, plug-and-play, tasty side dishes in your back pocket. This is one of mine. In fact, I rely on it several times a week. It's a versatile vegetable stir-fry to put a fast, tasty side on the table. It's got punch but is not overly aggressive so it plays well with other dishes, whether you're cooking up an Asian dinner or not!
How does this vegetable stir-fry work? It features a green veggie that's cut on a steep diagonal to ensure the pieces cook quickly and absorb flavors well. One or two other vegetables play supporting roles by adding contrasting color, flavor, and texture. To allow their natural quality to shine, I simply season them with ginger, garlic, and salt. There's a steam-cooking process that ensures everything cooks to a crisp tenderness.
Additionally, this vegetable side dish is flexible. It helps you cook with what you have got on hand and what's in season. For instance, I like to use watermelon radishes in spring time becuase they're sweet and stir-fry up to look interestingly meaty. I feature spring asparagus in salad-y sides like asparagus with soy and sesame but this stir-fry is a hot dish that's festive, despite its simplicity.
The recipe is stir-fry is set up as a blueprint-style method. After you've made it a few times, you'll be riffing and plugging in different vegetables. When we tested this recipe for my award-winning cookbook, Ever-Green Vietnamese, recipe tester Diane C. stress tested and voluntarily made it twice. She applauded its versatility and tasty outcome. Once you get the hang of it, you'll barely need to refer to the original recipe here or in my book.
Weeknight Vegetable Stir-Fry Pointers
Use my bonus tips as you tinker with the stir-fry:
- Choosing vegetables to stir-fry: Choose what's freshest and/or in season to produce a winning dish every time. Cutting them with lots of exposed surfaces ensures fast, even cooking.
- Peel or not peel? Peel the watermelon radish if its skin is tough. Kohlrabi may be used instead of carrot or radish; peel and quarter it before slicing. Carrots can keep their skin on.
- Don't want to do a mixed-vegetable stir-fry? Use this recipe to cook 1 ¼ pounds (625g) asparagus or green beans. The seasonings and cooking time remain the same.
- Streamline stir-frying: Line up all the ingredients near the stove because the cooking happens fast.
- What to cook the stir-fry in? A large carbon steel skillet or wok heats up well to cook this dish up in a flash. Whatever you choose, have a suitable lid handy.
- How to scale up the recipe? Stir-fry in single batches to avoid overcrowding the pan and slowing the cooking. Unite your batches in as one at the end, reheating as needed.
- Serving suggestions: Present this vegetable stir-fry as a side dish or as a starter, like my friend Susan does. It's casual elegant cooking that's attractive too.
Weeknight Vegetable Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- 1 pound | 450g asparagus or other green vegetable (such as celery or green beans)
- 4 ounces | 120g carrot, watermelon radish, kohlrabi, and/or fresh mushrooms (such as white, cremini, or shiitake), or a combination
- 1 ½ tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola or peanut)
- 3 slices ginger, unpeeled, smashed
- 1 large garlic clove, gently smashed
- ¼ plus ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Prep the veggies: Trim the ends of the asparagus, then slice the stalks on a steep diagonal into 2-inch-long pieces and put them into a bowl.
- Cut the carrot into slices a scant 1⁄4 inch thick and 2 inches long; this ensures they'll cook at the same rate as the asparagus. If using mushrooms, cut the stems and caps into 1⁄3-inch-thick slices or tear into large bite-size pieces. Add to the bowl of asparagus.
- Stir-fry and serve: Set a 14-inch wok or 12-inch nonstick or carbon-steel skillet over high heat on one of your largest burners and swirl in the neutral oil. When the oil ripples, toss in the ginger and garlic. Rapidly press down and stir them to release their aroma. Dump in the vegetables and sprinkle with the salt. Stir and toss for about 1 minute, until the vegetables look glossy with brighter color.
- Spread out the vegetables to cover the pan bottom, add the water, cover, and then turn the heat to medium-high. Let the veggies steam-cook for 2 minutes, stirring midway and spreading them out again. When the boiling sounds start turning into a crackling noise (which signals water evaporation), uncover and quickly flip and stir the vegetables, about 1 minute, until no more liquid remains. If needed, turn the heat to high to hasten cooking and thus prevent overcooking. If the vegetables are too firm, add a splash of water and cook 1 to 2 minutes longer. When the veggies are done, they should look lightly glazed. Transfer to a plate or shallow bowl, discard the ginger and garlic if you spot them, and serve immediately.
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