Crunchy Stir-Fried Mixed Vegetables
Here’s another Stir-Fried Mixed Vegetables recipe that is super easy to cook, yet nutritious and delicious. Although this dish is commonly served with lots of thick gravy and soft veggies, my household prefers it with crunchy vegetables and slightly less gravy.
It’s a perfect dish to go with white rice, or even on its own for a low carbohydrate diet.
This recipe serves 4.
Stir-Fried Mixed Vegetables
Ingredients
Usually, for Stir-Fried Mixed Vegetables, I tend to use sweet vegetables that release less water. Some good examples are cauliflowers, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, beans and peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions. I generally avoid leafy vegetables as they can release a lot of water.
However, don’t let this stop you from using them if you prefer yours with lots of gravy!
Another tip: before starting, if dried mushrooms are used, be sure to soften them beforehand by soaking for at least 4 hours. This is so we don’t spend too much time braising them later. 🙂
For the seasonings, I used some sesame oil, garlic oil, and crispy fried garlic for added fragrance and flavour. Light soy sauce and oyster sauce are mandatory seasonings for Chinese-style dishes; they give that distinct salty and umami flavours and depth found in Chinese cuisine. However, if they are not available, feel free to adjust the taste with salt.
Lastly, some tapioca flour acts as the thickening agent for the gravy. Feel free to swap out tapioca flour with cornflour instead if it’s not available. As cornflour is denser, you can reduce the flour amount by around 1/3 to achieve the same result. I personally avoid cornflour whenever I can as it is not agreeable with me.
Make the gravy thickener first. Mix the tapioca flour with 25ml of water until well-combined, and set aside.
Stir-Frying Mixed Vegetables
Pour all the garlic oil into a non-stick pan, and turn up the heat to medium. Let it warm a little before adding the vegetables that take the longest time to cook among the rest: carrots, wood ear mushrooms, and sweet peas.
Stir lightly for about 20 seconds, to coat them with garlic oil. Then, add the rest of the water. An extra 100ml can be added if you prefer this dish with lots of gravy.
Lightly stir the vegetables again. Cover the pan and allow it to simmer for about 4 minutes. This boils the water, which softens the vegetables and lets them release some of their sweetness to the gravy later.
After 4 minutes, the water is boiling, and the stir-fried mixed vegetables have softened. Now we can add the vegetables that take slightly less time to cook and soften: yellow onions, and cauliflowers. I also added my seasonings here: sesame oil, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and half of the crispy fried garlic. These add flavour to the gravy and provide sufficient time for the vegetables to absorb later.
Stir lightly once again for 20 seconds to mix and distribute all the seasonings well. Once done, add the tomato wedges.
The tomatoes tend to cook the fastest in this dish, and they also add a slight tanginess to the gravy later. Cover the pan and let them all simmer for another 2 minutes. This will just cook the vegetables, and they will have a wonderful crunchy texture. If you prefer the stir-fried mixed vegetables to be soft and tender, let them simmer for 4 minutes instead.
After they have simmered to your desired texture, which is 2 minutes in my case, open the lid and stir to mix the gravy once again.
Give the gravy a taste. It should be naturally sweet, salty, and a little tangy from the tomatoes. Adjust to taste, or as preferred. If more seasonings were added, stir to mix it well before tasting again.
Once the gravy is perfect, it’s time to thicken it. Pour all the gravy thickener or “flour mix” as I call it, into the pan and stir to thoroughly combine it with the gravy. You should start to see the gravy become velvety and smooth.
Sprinkle the rest of the crispy fried garlic and stir one last time. This gives additional texture and bites of fried garlicky flavour in each spoonful.
Switch off the heat and dish it out onto a serving plate, and the Crunchy Stir-Fried Mixed Vegetables is ready!
Let’s Eat
The cauliflowers, sweet peas, and yellow onions are still crunchy, and quite sweet. The taste matches perfectly with the saltiness of the light soy sauce, depth of flavour from the oyster sauce. There are even pockets of crispy garlic in a few bites. The texture of the gravy is similar to a thick sauce that goes so well with rice.
The smell is amazing too. There are hints of caramelized garlic, sesame oil, and tomatoes. It can definitely be enjoyed on its own – or as a vegetable dish as part of the family meal.
Storage Instructions
Although it’s best enjoyed immediately, this Crunchy Stir-Fried Mixed Vegetable dish can be kept only until the next day if there are leftovers. It should be reheated over medium heat before consumption. This would compromise the texture, but the taste will still be delicious.
Happy cooking 😀
Crunchy Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables
Equipment
- Non-Stick Frying Pan
- Silicone Spatula
Ingredients
- 270 g cauliflower, washed, cut to bite-sized pieces
- 130 g sweet peas, washed, cut with thread/ strings removed
- 65 g yellow onions, cut to bite-sized pieces
- 125 ml water
- 120 g tomatoes, cut to wedges
- 82 g carrots, sliced thinly
- 35 g wood ear mushrooms, hydrated/ fresh
- 2 tbsp garlic oil
- 1 tbsp crispy fried garlic
- 1/2 tbsp tapioca flour
- 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
Instructions
- Mix 25ml of water to the tapioca flour until well-combined to make the gravy thickener. Set aside.
- Switch on heat to medium. Pour garlic oil in a non-stick pan and wait for it to get hot.
- Once the garlic oil is hot, add carrots, sweet peas, and wood ear mushrooms. Lightly stir until coated with garlic oil.
- Add the remaining water and stir. Cover the pan. Simmer for 4 minutes to cook and soften.
- After 4 minutes, add yellow onions, cauliflower, sesame oil, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and half of crispy fried garlic. Stir lightly until well-combined.
- Add tomato wedges, stirring to mix once more. Cover the pan and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Taste and adjust as preferred. Pour the gravy thickener. Stir until well-combined.
- Switch off the heat. Pour the rest of the crispy fried garlic and stir to combine.
- Dish out and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Tapioca flour can be substituted with 1/3 tbsp cornflour if preferred.
- 100ml of water can be added for more gravy.
- Garlic oil can be substituted with unscented cooking oil.
- Increase the last simmering time to 4 minutes for soft and tender vegetables.
- Best consumed immediately for the crunchy texture.
- Can be kept overnight in the fridge. Reheat over medium heat before consumption.