MALL-STYLE VEGETABLE STIR-FRY

Mall-Style Vegetable Stir-Fry image

The vegan chef Jenné Claiborne grew up in suburban Atlanta, where she developed a love for the teriyaki chicken stir-fry at Panda Express. After she became vegan, she recreated the flavors of her teen-age craving, using dates and soy sauce to produce the flavor of teriyaki sauce. If you don't have chickpeas on hand to add heft to the vegetables, replace them with tempeh, tofu, edamame, jackfruit or mushrooms. Also, feel free to swap out the broccoli in favor of another green vegetable like kale, cabbage or bok choy. To make a less salty, slightly less mall-like version, use low-sodium soy sauce or 1/4 cup soy sauce and 1/4 water or broth. You can also use low-sodium canned chickpeas (or soak and cook your own and salt to taste).

Provided by Kim Severson

Categories dinner, easy, weekday, vegetables, main course

Time 35m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 18

Previous Next

Ingredients

1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
6 Medjool or other dried dates, pitted and chopped
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder or cornstarch
1 tablespoon grapeseed or coconut oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion, or 2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, chopped or julienned
1 carrot, chopped or julienned
1 head broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets and pieces
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (1 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed)
Freshly cooked brown rice, for serving
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (raw or toasted)
1 to 2 fresh limes, quartered
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Steps:

Make the sauce: In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic, and cook, stirring, just until garlic starts to turn golden, about 1 minute. Stir in soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and dates. Let simmer 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk arrowroot with 1/3 cup water until smooth. Slowly stir the mixture into the simmering sauce. When sauce begins to thicken (this will happen very quickly), remove from heat and set aside to cool.
When cool enough to handle, transfer sauce to a blender, and blend until smooth.
Make the stir-fry: In a wok or skillet with a lid, heat oil over medium heat. When hot, add onions. Stir-fry about 1 minute, until softened. Add red pepper and carrots, cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in broccoli, chickpeas and sauce, and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are cooked to your liking, about 10 minutes.
Serve over rice, garnished with sesame seeds, fresh cilantro and lime wedges.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 373, UnsaturatedFat 4 grams, Carbohydrate 66 grams, Fat 9 grams, Fiber 14 grams, Protein 14 grams, SaturatedFat 4 grams, Sodium 1965 milligrams, Sugar 33 grams