Stir fry tiiiime.

A friend who stayed with us recently called this the best stir fry he’s ever had. Victory! Maybe he was just being super polite, but I dare say that this is, by leaps and bounds, the best stir fry recipe I have rustled up so far. Try it and let me know what you think ♥

The invigorating blend of ginger and garlic, a heady combination that is somehow greater than the sum of it’s delicious parts, serves as the base for the sauce and the subtle backdrop to the finished meal. It is the x factor that takes this recipe from MMM to OMG!

Commercial stir fry sauces tend to be full of stuff that doesn’t need to be there: the msg family, dodgy caramel colouring, lots of sugar. This sauce doesn’t have any of that crap and it is really, really good; like ‘defeat all enemies’ good.

If you prepare your sauce the night beforehand,  you can have dinner on the table (or, let’s be honest, on your lap) in 15 minutes flat. The sauce will keep for a week or so in a sealed jar, so you could double the recipe and save half for another meal, or prepare a serving at the beginning of the week, for use that weekend.

Not only are stir fries a fast, easy dinner staple, they are also a great way to pack loads of fresh vegetables into a meal. The veges that I have listed in the recipe can be switched up depending on what you have in your refrigerator. Having said that, I would never leave out broccoli or peas, because it just isn’t a stir fry without both of those things! And broccoli + this sauce = HEAVEN.

If you aren’t in the mood for noodles,  substitute the udon for freshly cooked rice. Brown basmati is great.

Serve alongside pan fried tempeh or tofu, to round out the meal with a good dose of tasty protein.

 

Revolutionary Vegan Stir Fry with Udon Noodles

 

Ingredients:

1 small head broccoli, chopped into florets
2 medium size carrots, sliced into matchsticks
handful of mushrooms, sliced
1 small head baby pak choy, leaves removed and halved; stems sliced thickly
1\2 – 2/3 cup green peas
1 x 200g packet udon noodles
roasted cashews to garnish (optional)

For the sauce:
1/2″ nub ginger, crushed
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp rice bran oil
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy
1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
1 tsp raw sugar
3 tbsp water

 

What to do:

Make the sauce: Add all ingredients to a small saucepan, whisk together, then heat until simmering. Remove from heat immediately and set aside until needed.

Heat rice bran oil in a wok or large frying pan over high heat.

Add carrots, cook 1 minute, stirring regularly.  Add broccoli. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring,  for 1 minute.

Add udon noodles and mix well (I find that this is easiest to do with tongs).

Pour sauce over the vegetables and noodles – you might not need to add it all; I like my stir fries saucy! – mixing to make sure everything is evenly coated.

Cook for 1 minute, then add peas and pak choy leaves. Cook for 1-2 mins, stirring occasionally,  until noodles are cooked.

Be careful not to overcook – you want the vegetables to be a little crunchy ♥

Serve immediately.  Garnish each serving with cashews, if desired.

Serves 2

 

Image via my Pinterest