Chinese vegetable stir-fry with cashews Recipe
Colorful Chinese vegetable stir-fry with cashews is a quick vegetarian dish full of crunchy vegetables. In China, such mixes are often served as a side to rice, but they can easily play the main role on your plate. It’s a bit like a Polish mixed vegetables-from-the-pan dish, just with soy sauce, ginger, and crunchy nuts.
This stir-fry combines simple, everyday vegetables with classic Chinese flavors—soy sauce, ginger, and chili—plus the crunch of toasted cashews. It’s quick to make, colorful on the plate, and works both as a main dish and as a side to rice.
Chef's tips
Cut the vegetables into similar-sized pieces so they cook evenly and stay pleasantly crunchy. Have all ingredients prepped before you start frying—stir-fry goes fast and you won’t have time to chop once the pan is hot.
How to serve
Serve straight from the wok over a bowl of steaming rice. You can finish the dish with a drizzle of sesame oil, a sprinkle of sesame seeds, and finely sliced spring onions or chives.
Ingredients
- broccoli divided into small florets - 200 g
- bell pepper cut into strips - 1 piece
- carrot cut into thin half-slices - 1 piece
- zucchini cut into half-slices - 0.5 piece
- unsalted cashew nuts lightly toasted - 60 g
- garlic chopped - 3 cloves
- fresh ginger grated - 1 teaspoon
- soy sauce - 3 tablespoons
- rice vinegar can be replaced with apple cider vinegar - 1 tablespoon
- honey or sugar - 1 teaspoon
- chili paste or chili sauce amount to taste - 1 teaspoon
- oil for frying - 2 tablespoons
- water - 3 tablespoons
Preparation
- Divide the broccoli into small florets. If the stalk is tender, peel off the tough skin and slice it thinly.
- Cut the bell pepper, carrot, and zucchini into thin strips or half-slices so they cook quickly.
- In a dry pan, toast the cashews for 2–3 minutes over medium heat, stirring, until lightly golden. Transfer to a small plate.
- In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey or sugar, chili paste, and water.
- In a large pan or wok, heat the oil over high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the carrot and broccoli. Stir-fry for 3–4 minutes over high heat, stirring often. If the vegetables start to catch, add 1–2 tablespoons of water.
- Add the bell pepper and zucchini. Stir-fry for another 3–4 minutes, until the vegetables are tender but still slightly crunchy.
- Pour in the prepared sauce from the bowl. Stir for 1–2 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the vegetables.
- Finally, add the toasted cashews, toss to combine, and serve immediately, preferably with rice.
Storage
Warzywa najlepiej smakują świeże, gdy są jeszcze lekko chrupiące. Jeśli zostaną, przechowuj w lodówce i podgrzewaj krótko na patelni, dodając odrobinę wody.
