Fifteen-Minute Vegetable Stir-Fry
Crisp-tender vegetables in a glossy, balanced sauce. The stir-fry I make when the fridge needs clearing and dinner needs solving.
A stir-fry should be the fastest, easiest, most-fridge-clearing dinner in your week. But the reason home versions often disappoint is two-fold: the pan isn't hot enough, and the sauce isn't balanced.
Fix both and you've basically replaced your local takeaway. Here's how I do it.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons water
Stir-fry
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- About 500g (4 cups) chopped vegetables — broccoli, peppers, carrots, mushrooms, snap peas
- Cooked rice or noodles, to serve
- Sesame seeds and sliced spring onions, to finish
Instructions
- Whisk all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set by the stove.
- Heat a wok or large skillet over the highest heat your stove will go. When it's almost smoking, add the oil.
- Add the harder vegetables first (carrots, broccoli) and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the softer ones (peppers, mushrooms, snap peas) and stir-fry for another 2 minutes.
- Push the vegetables to one side and add the garlic and ginger to the bare spot. Cook for 20 seconds, then stir everything together.
- Give the sauce a stir and pour it in. Toss for 30 seconds until it thickens and coats everything glossy.
- Serve immediately over rice or noodles, finished with sesame seeds and spring onions.
Cooking tips
- Get the pan smoking-hot before adding oil. A cool pan is the difference between stir-fry and stew.
- Cut everything before you start cooking. There is no time to chop once the wok is going.
- Add protein (sliced chicken, tofu, shrimp) by cooking it first, removing, and returning at the end.
More like this
If you enjoyed this recipe, you'll find more of my favourite quick & easy recipes in the archive, or browse the full collection.
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