Sichuan-Style Veggies
- October 1, 2005
- Recipes, Savory Side Dishes and Salads, Savory Snacks, Dips and Sauces
- 8 comments
If for no other reason than to prove that I do, in fact, eat things other than cake, I decided to mention these veggies. Actually, the better reason for mentioning them is the sauce.
An issue of EatingWell from February of this year had a great article about stir frying. They offered two easy to make sauces and six dishes that could all be prepared in a matter of minutes. I chose to go for the sichuan sauce, which was a quick to put together and tasted excellent. In it I stir fried some broccoli, snap peas and mushrooms, tossed in some sugar tomatoes and served on a bed of romaine lettuce and red onions. I don’t think you can see the peas or mushrooms in the photo, but that’s what happens when you toss your salad before taking a photo of it.
The salad was okay as far as salads go, but the sauce was excellent. I will definately be using it again in the future, but next time I think I’ll add some chicken or tofu to the veggies and leave out the salad.
Sichuan-Style Sauce
(from EatingWell magazine)
3 tbsp vegetable broth
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Sauce can be stored in the fridge for one week.
Makes 1/3 cup.
Sichuan-Style Veggies
To add tofu or chicken to this, simply add cubed meat/tofu and a bit more oil to your skillet and brown before adding the veggies
1 tbsp oil
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups sugar snap peas
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 cup baby tomatoes, sliced in half
1 recipe Sichuan-Style Sauce (above)
Heat oil in a large skillet or wok.
Add broccoli, peas and mushrooms and stir fry until broccoli is bright green, about 2 minutes. Add in Sichuan sauce and stir to coat veggies. Cover pan and cook everything for 1-2 minutes, until veggies are almost crisp-tender. Remove lid and stir in baby tomatoes. Cook for 30 seconds then serve.
Makes 4 servings.
8 Comments
Ooooo! That sounds good. I’ve never made a Sichuan-style sauce before. I think I’ll try this in the coming week for lunch. A shriimp or two wouldn’t seem out of place there either…
I agree that shrimp would be a good touch, Rainey.
I never thought that a Sichuan sauce would be so easy! Not to mention better than take-out. =)
This salad looks really tasty. I’ll give it a try. I’m always looking for new ways of making veggies (aren’t we all?).
nic-
I just added this to my recipe database. Can I ask a couple questions? How do you come by 3 Tbs. of vegetable broth? And do you recommend seasoned or unseasoned rice vinegar? Unseasoned seems intuitive but the flavor of seasoned is so much more balanced. Thanks in advance.
Rainey – In this case, I used store bought vegetable broth. I only used 3 tbsp and put the rest, covered, in the fridge for use the next day. If I make vegetable broth, I will try to freeze some in an ice cube tray, that was I can defrost one or two cubes when I only need a little. I also used unseasoned rice vinegar, which I had on hand. If I had both seasoned and unseasoned, I would try it two ways to see which I liked best. I believe that the recipe will work equally well with both types.
wow! what a beautiful riot of colours…that not only looks and sounds vibrant and healthful, it must be totally delicious too!
Looks great and healthy recipe ! thanks
Very colorful!
I am thinking of SiChuan style soup tomorrow, any recommendation?