Szechuan Broccoli Stir Fry

I really can’t think of a better vegetarian dish than a simple and flavorful stir fry. Taking all things colorful, crunchy, spicy, sweet and topping it all on a bed of rice. Sure sounds delightful to me!

The secret behind a good stir fry is not overloading the wok with too many things at once. If you are cooking a dinner for two, then it is ok to follow the quantity, but if you are cooking for four, do it in 2 batches. This will allow the vegetables to fry vs. sweat.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water, divided
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 4 cups broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 cup carrots, peeled and julienned
• 1 cup snow peas, trimmed
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

Preparation 

Whisk 1/4 cup water, soy sauce, tomato paste, vinegar, honey, crushed red pepper to taste and 1 teaspoon cornstarch in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat wok to a hot state. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add broccoli, carrots, peas, garlic and ginger; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the remaining 1/4 cup water, cover and cook until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir the reserved soy sauce mixture and pour it over the veggies. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 1 minute.

Serve over hot rice or noodles of your choice.