Thai Vegetable Stir-Fry (Vegan/Gluten-Free)

By
Darlene Schmidt
Darlene Schmidt
Darlene Schmidt is a cookbook author and culinary teacher who specializes in Thai cuisine.
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Updated on 02/9/22
Vegetable Stir Fry
gordana jovanovic / Getty Images
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 25 mins
Servings: 3 to 4 servings

This Thai Vegetable Stir-Fry is easy to make and tastes great! The stir-fry sauce is what makes this dish sing—a combination of coconut milk, soy sauce, lime, and chile. The recipe is also quite flexible, allowing you to add your own choice of vegetables depending on what you have on hand, or what is readily available where you live. Add a final topping of fresh basil and chile, and you have a Thai vegan dish that's gourmet-level good.

Note: Cubes of fresh or fried tofu or strips of chicken can be added to make this a main-course dish.

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Ingredients

  • 1 to 2 tablespoons coconut oil, or other vegetable oil

  • 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots, or purple onion

  • 5 to 6 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped

  • 6 to 12 teaspoons sliced ginger, or galangal, cut into thin matchstick pieces

  • 1 medium carrot, sliced

  • 6 to 8 shiitake mushrooms, sliced or left in halves or quarters

  • 1/2 to 1 small fresh red chile pepper, sliced, or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons chile flakes

  • 1 head broccoli, cut into florets

  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips

  • 1 medium zucchini, sliced into half-moons or thick matchstick-like pieces

  • 1 cup snow peas, or more

  • 1 generous handful fresh basil leaves

Stir-Fry Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup coconut milk

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable stock, good strong tasting, or faux chicken stock

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 3 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

  • 2 tablespoons sherry, or cooking sherry

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed chile flakes

  • 2 teaspoons brown sugar

Steps to Make It

  1. Combine all the ingredients for the stir-fry sauce, stirring well to dissolve sugar. Taste-test the sauce, keeping in mind that the first taste should be spicy-salty, followed by sweet and finally the rich taste of the coconut milk. Adjust these flavors to suit your taste, adding more lime juice if too sweet or salty.

  2. Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons oil in the pan and swirl around, then add the shallot/onion, garlic, ginger, and chili. Stir-fry 2 minutes, then add the carrot and mushrooms plus 1/4 of the stir-fry sauce. Stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes.

  3. Add remaining vegetables plus remaining stir-fry sauce, enough to gently simmer vegetables in the sauce. Simmer until all the vegetables are cooked but still bright green with some crispness.

  4. Remove from heat and do one last taste-test. If not salty enough, add a little more fish or soy sauce. If too salty or sweet, add another squeeze of lime juice. Add more sugar or chile if desired.

  5. Top with fresh basil. Fresh-cut chile can also be sprinkled over for those who like it extra spicy. Serve over Thai jasmine-scented rice.

*Be sure to use wheat-free soy sauce for gluten-free diets.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
246 Calories
14g Fat
28g Carbs
8g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories 246
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g 18%
Saturated Fat 11g 56%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 575mg 25%
Total Carbohydrate 28g 10%
Dietary Fiber 8g 27%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 8g
Vitamin C 159mg 795%
Calcium 108mg 8%
Iron 4mg 20%
Potassium 957mg 20%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)