Kung Pao Vegetables

This delicious Kung Pao Vegetable recipe is vegan, hearty, and quite nutritious! Easily smother healthy sautéed veggies in an irresistible spicy sauce before serving it over rice. Such a tasty dinner that's ready in less than 20 minutes!

5 from 5 votes

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Bonnie - Serene Trail

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 20

Servings:

Calories: 224kcal

Equipment

cast iron braiser or other large pan

Ingredients

Kung Pao Sauce

1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water, or broth, (118ml)
1/4 cup soy sauce, low-sodium, (59ml)
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Vegetable Stir Fry

1 tbsp cooking oil, avocado, olive, etc.
1 medium white onion, chopped
2 large bell peppers, red and green, chopped
1 head of broccoli, chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, cremini, shiitake, etc., (227g), chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 tbsp fresh garlic, minced
5 small dried red chilies, kept whole
1/3 cup nuts, peanuts or cashews, (40g)
2 green onion stalks

Instructions

Prepare the vegetables by chopping them into bite-sized chunks. Mince the garlic and ginger. Gather the remaining ingredients because this dish cooks fast.
Make the sauce by whisking together the cornstarch and 2 tbsp of water until it's lump-free. Add the remaining water, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, hoisin, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. Set it aside for now.
Heat a large pan to medium heat. Add the cooking oil. Once hot, add the white onions, peppers, broccoli, and mushrooms. Stir regularly as they cook until they are soft (5 minutes).
Add the garlic, ginger, and whole dried chilies. Stir occasionally as they cook for 2 minutes.
Give the sauce another stir and then pour it into the pan. Lower the heat to medium-low and let the veggies cook for 5 more minutes.
Take the pan off of the heat and stir in the peanuts and green onions. Enjoy over rice or as-is!

Video

Notes

Have the ingredients ready to go as soon as you heat the pan because the whole thing cooks pretty fast.
Start with a small amount of water with the cornstarch so that it’s easier to whisk the clumps out.
Make sure the pan is hot before adding the oil, and then again, make sure the oil is hot before adding the veggies.

Add-In Ideas

Add baked tofu, tempeh, or soy curls
Toss in vegan chicken or plant based beef
Switch out some veggies for celery, potatoes, carrots, or zucchini

Nutrition

The nutritional information provided is an estimate from third-party calculations.

Did you make this recipe?I'd love to hear what you think! Drop a comment below or share it on Instagram and tag me @serene.trail.