A rainbow of colors make these kung pao vegetables as nourishing as they are delicious! Ladle the veggies and the spicy-savory-sweet sauce over rice for a yummy Chinese meal that is ready in under 30 minutes.
These kung pao vegetables are a weeknight-friendly recipe. They come together so quickly and they make an easy but nutritious meal everyone will love.
If you love spicy, savory Chinese inspired dishes like chilli tofu and veg manchurian, this is a recipe right up your alley! Colorful bell peppers, cabbage, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, and scallions are steeped in an easy sauce that literally explodes with a combination of umami, spicy, sweet, and tangy flavors. Peanuts add a gorgeous crunch.
The kung pao is a spicy dish, and that’s part of its charm. Also the spiciness is tamped down and complemented by the sweet and tangy flavors in the sauce.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this kung pao vegetables recipe
- Simple but delicious. This recipe takes under 30 minutes to make (depending on your knife skills) but it is one tasty dish. The ingredients build so much flavor and there is a ton of texture from the vegetables and the peanuts.
- Family-friendly. You can cook up this dish in less time than it takes to order takeout,and you know exactly what went into it. That’s the kind of food I love serving my family.
- Loaded with vegetables:I love just how many veggies I can pack into this dish,and you can get creative with it! You can easily change up the veggies:use green beans or corn or eggplant or water chestnuts or cauliflower. If you don’t have one veggie or the other leave it out.
- Gluten-free and vegan recipe. Can be nut-free. Check section on tweaks for special diets below.
Ingredients
- Vegetables:onions,carrots,cremini mushrooms,broccoli,bell peppers of any color,purple or green cabbage,celery and scallions or green onions.
- Spices:dried red chili peppers or red pepper flakes,ginger garlic paste,Sriracha or other hot sauce and green chili peppers (optional).
- Cornstarch. This is for the slurry that thickens the sauce.
- Peanuts. Can use cashew nuts. The nuts add great crunch and texture.
- Vegetable stockor mushroom stock
- Rice vinegar. Can use apple cider vinegar.
- Maple syrup. Can use sugar
How to make kung pao vegetables
In a bowl,mix the mushroom stock with soy sauce,maple syrup,sriracha sauce and rice vinegar. Add chopped green chilies to the bowl too,if using.
In another small bowl,make a slurry by mixing cornstarch with ¼ cup water. Mix the cornstarch into the water until no lumps remain.
In a wok heat a tablespoon of sesame oil over high heat. Stir in the broken red chili peppers and the ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute until the ginger and garlic are very aromatic and don’t smell raw. Keep stirring the ingredients in the wok so they don’t burn.
Add all the vegetables to the wok:bell peppers,broccoli,purple cabbage,mushrooms and carrots. Continue to stir-fry over high heat for 2-3 minutes or until the veggies are beginning to get tender.
Stir in the prepared sauce and mix well. Bring the sauce to a boil,then add the cornstarch slurry to the wok and mix well.
When the sauce returns to a boil it will thicken up and become more translucent. At this time stir in the peanuts and check if you need more salt.
Stir in the scallions. Turn off heat and serve the kung pao vegetables hot or warm.
Top Tip
When making Chinese recipes,it is important to prepare your mise en place:in other words,get all ingredients,including the veggies,the cornstarch slurry and the sauce mixture,ready,prepped and mixed before you start cooking. This is important because Chinese stir-fry recipes are cooked over high heat. If you try to cook and prep simultaneously you could overcook or burn the food.
Tweaks for special diets
- Soy-free:Use no-soy tamari or coconut aminos or another soy sauce substitute.
- Nut-free:The peanuts add lots of texture. If you cannot use them but can use other nuts,use raw cashews. Otherwise add 1 cup frozen edamame or corn.
- Low-carb:If you are low-carb,skip the carrots and use another lower-carb veggie,like green beans. You can replace the maple syrup in the sauce with stevia and use tapioca starch instead of corn starch for the slurry.
Serving suggestions
- Over brown rice or white rice.
- Over a bed of quinoa.
- With avocados. The creamy avocados go nicely with the spicy kung pao vegetables.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate:Store the kung pao veggies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
- Freeze:Freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to three months.
- Reheat:Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through.
More vegan Indo-Chinese recipes
Kung Pao Vegetables
A rainbow of colors make these kung pao vegetables as nourishing as they are delicious! Ladle the veggies and the spicy-savory-sweet sauce over rice for a yummy Chinese meal that is ready in under 30 minutes.
Servings:4servings
Calories:274kcal
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Instructions
In a bowl,mix the mushroom stock with soy sauce,maple syrup,sriracha sauce and rice vinegar. Add chopped green chilies to the bowl too,if using.
In another small bowl,make a slurry by mixing cornstarch with ¼ cup water. Mix the cornstarch into the water until no lumps remain.
In a wok heat a tablespoon of sesame oil over high heat. Stir in the broken red chili peppers and the ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute until the ginger and garlic are very aromatic and don’t smell raw. Keep stirring the ingredients in the wok so they don’t burn.
Add all the vegetables to the wok:bell peppers,broccoli,purple cabbage,mushrooms and carrots. Continue to stir-fry over high heat for 2-3 minutes or until the veggies are beginning to get tender.
Stir in the prepared sauce and mix well. Bring the sauce to a boil,then add the cornstarch slurry to the wok and mix well.
When the sauce returns to a boil it will thicken up and become more translucent. At this time stir in the peanuts and check if you need more salt.
Stir in the scallions. Turn off heat and serve the kung pao vegetables hot or warm.
Nutrition Facts
Kung Pao Vegetables
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
