I may or may not have confessed this before, but side dishes are hard for me. If I’m making a big meal, I don’t want to spend a lot of time/energy/resources/money/dirty dishes on a fancy side dish. If I’m making something super simple, there’s usually a good reason behind it (I’m sick/tired/not in a cooking mood/wishing everyone would find a way to feed themselves). So if we’re going to have something besides a simple green salad, fruit, baked potatoes, steamed veggies, or frozen fries, it’s gotta be a) easy and b) requiring very little of my time and energy. And clean dishes. In case you haven’t noticed, I reaaaaally don’t like to do dishes.
So yes, this side dish does involve a frying pan, but it also involves a lot of shortcuts and make-ahead options. You’ll need a 12-ounce bag of fresh or frozen veggies (I used a fresh stir-fry mix from the produce department, but I really, really, really like just straight up broccoli), fresh ginger and garlic, about half of a small red onion, honey, beef broth, Sriracha (optional, but not in my world), sesame oil, soy sauce, sesame seeds, and some kosher salt.
Measure out 1/4 cup of beef broth (I just used 1/4 cup water with 1/4 teaspoon beef base dissolved in it) and whisk in 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1/4-1/2 teaspoon Sriracha, 1 tablespoon honey, and 3 tablespoons soy sauce. Set it aside. You can also whip this up ahead of time and refrigerate it until you’re ready to stir-fry your veggies.
Heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. When it’s hot and shimmery, add the onion, ginger, and garlic in that order. Stir fry it for about 20 seconds and then add your veggies. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until the veggies are starting to brighten and darken in color but aren’t over cooked.
Whisk together your sauce ingredients and then drizzle the sauce over the vegetables. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with another teaspoon of sesame oil, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve immediately.
Easy Veggie Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup beef broth
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
- 1-2 teaspoons sesame oil divided
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
- 1/2 small red onion sliced
- 1 12- ounce package fresh or frozen vegetables like a stir-fry mix or broccoli
- Kosher salt to taste
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Whisk together the beef broth, soy sauce, Sriracha, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and honey. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. When very hot, add the onions, ginger, and garlic in that order and stir fry for about 20 seconds. Add the veggies and stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until the veggies are dark and bright but still crisp. Add the sauce and stir fry for another 2-3 minutes or until the veggies are tender-crisp. Transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with another 1/2-1 teaspoon sesame oil and sprinkle with kosher salt to taste and sesame seeds. Serves 4-6.
Questions & Reviews
Dear Kate, This looks really good. I’m making it tonight, along with your OBB Lime-Cilantro Rice and Pineapple, for our discussion group. These will be served with salmon and home-made tartar sauce,lemons and crusty bread. Wish me good luck! See you soon, LHRandle
It’s so nice to see a vegetarian option here (I will leave out the beef broth or substitute vegetable broth for beef). Thanks for including this. It looks delicious! I bet it would be great with tofu as well! YUM! Love the chili sauce too!
Where did you buy that stir-fry mix? It looks like it has the perfect veggies for my tastes!
It’s just the Walmart brand mix from the fresh produce section! 🙂
I made this last night and it was soooooo yummy! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I added the chicken and served it over rice for a main dish and loved it.
looks yum! You use Aloha Shoyu!!! Da Best kind of shoyu!
Can bouillon and water always be substituted for broth (chicken or beef)? What is the difference?
I wanted to add that I used a white onion instead of a red and I also added a cilantro boullion cube to the dish…next time i might add two cilantro boullion cubes and maybe a little more garlic so it will have a stronger flavor…I think this was needed since I also added the noodles and shrimp.
We made this tonight…so good! We doubled the sauce since we added shrimp and lo mein as well. i will be making this again. Thank you!
This looks fabulous!
Yum. This sounds much more flavorful than my usual stir-fry! I’m a broccoli fan too – I could eat it nearly every day.