How to make Sweet & Sour Vegetable Stir Fry
Learn how to make an easy Sweet and Sour Vegetable Stir Fry! Perfect for a quick, healthy meal with vibrant veggies and a tangy sauce. Ideal for weeknight dinners!
I always find myself using the ingredients I have in my cupboard, especially before heading out for food shopping. I aim to utilize all the food I have to minimize food waste. It’s amazing how many interesting recipes come out of this process.
I especially enjoy quick and easy recipes that can be paired differently each time. This chicken stew pairs wonderfully with steamed rice, Turkish bulgur, pasta, mashed or baked potatoes, a slice of freshly baked bread, or on its own with a piece of homemade tortilla.
This veggie dish is ideal for a fast meal on busy days. Whether served as a main course or a snack, it’s bound to leave everyone wanting more. You should also try our Lemon Chicken, Easy 15-minute Udon Noodles, Turkey Mince Noodles, or Gnocchi made easy with Pesto and Zucchini for a quick delicious lunch or dinner.
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I love quick, restaurant-quality dishes that taste amazing and are easy to make. In just 30 minutes, I can make a delicious meal for my family with ingredients I control. It’s also great as a low-carb keto main. Sharing homemade meals creates special memories that last.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
This recipe for Sweet and Sour Vegetable Stir Fry is a hit because it’s quick, easy, and uses basic ingredients. The vibrant veggies in a tangy sauce make it a family favourite.
It’s a simple dish perfect for busy nights, and you can pair it with any side dish you like. Since it’s homemade, you know exactly what goes into it, making it a healthier choice. Kids love it too, and it’s low in calories, so it’s a win-win for everyone at the table.
A make-ahead-friendly recipe, you can prepare in advance, store, and reheat when needed, making it a great option for meal prepping.
Expert Tips
Prep Ingredients Ahead: Have all your vegetables chopped and sauce mixed before you start cooking. Stir fry cooking is fast, so being prepared ensures everything cooks evenly and perfectly.
High Heat Cooking: Use high heat for quick cooking to retain the vegetables’ vibrant colour and crisp texture. A hot wok or large skillet best achieves that classic stir fry finish.
Balance the Sauce: Taste and adjust the sweet and sour sauce to your preference before adding it to the vegetables. You can tweak the sweetness with more sugar or the tanginess with more vinegar or citrus juice.
What is Sweet and Sour Sauce?
Sweet and sour sauce is a tangy, sweet sauce made by mixing sugar and vinegar or lemon juice. It often includes ketchup or soy sauce and sometimes other ingredients like pineapple juice or hoisin sauce. This sauce is commonly used in Chinese dishes to add a zesty and balanced flavor. It pairs well with stir-fried veggies, meat, or tofu.
What do we need?
For this sweet-and-sour vegetable stir-fry, we need:
- For the vegetables, use onion, red and orange bell peppers, carrots, green beans, and garlic. Add cooked chickpeas for protein, and season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Use olive oil for cooking.
- Chinese Sweet & Sour Sauce
- From concentrate: Mix with hot water as directed on the package.
- Make it from scratch using these ingredients: garlic, ginger, tomato ketchup, malt vinegar, brown sugar and tinned pineapple in juice. Recipe bellow.
Pro Tip: To save time, mix the sweet and sour sauce ingredients in advance. Simply cover and refrigerate it the day before or in the morning, and it will be ready to use.
How to make Sweet and Sour Sauce from scratch
Enjoy this easy version of a Chinese takeaway classic as a dipping sauce or mix it with meat and vegetables for a tangy and flavourful dish.
Ingredients
- 200 ml pineapple juice
- 100 g light brown soft sugar
- 4 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp minced ginger
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the cornflour with a little bit of cold water to make a slurry. Set aside.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté the minced garlic and ginger until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add pineapple juice, light brown sugar, tomato ketchup, soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar to the saucepan. Stir well to combine.
- Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently. Gradually stir in the cornflour slurry and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency.
- Remove from heat and let the sauce cool. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for later use.
Enjoy your sweet and sour sauce with your favourite dishes!
Substitutions
Olive Oil: Can be replaced with any cooking oil like vegetable oil or canola oil.
Onion: Shallots or leeks can be used as alternatives for a similar taste.
Red and Orange Bell Peppers: Yellow or green bell peppers, or even other vegetables like zucchini or eggplant, can be substituted.
Carrots: Other root vegetables like parsnips or turnips can be used, or you can try thinly sliced sweet potatoes for a sweeter twist.
Cooked Chickpeas: Cannellini beans, black beans, or lentils can be used as substitutes for chickpeas.
Green Beans: Snow peas or snap peas can provide a similar crisp texture.
Garlic: Garlic powder or garlic paste can be used as substitutes for fresh garlic cloves.
Salt and Pepper: These can be adjusted to taste, and any other preferred seasoning can be used as well.
Paprika: Smoked paprika, chili powder, or cayenne pepper can provide a similar smoky flavor.
Chinese Sweet & Sour Concentrate: If unavailable, you can make a homemade sweet and sour sauce using ingredients like ketchup, vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce.
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How to serve
Sweet and sour vegetable stir fry is a versatile dish that pairs well with a variety of serving options. Here are some popular choices:
Rice: Serve the sweet and sour vegetable stir fry over steamed white rice or brown rice.
Noodles: Serve the stir fry with cooked noodles such as rice noodles, udon noodles, or chow mein noodles. Toss the noodles with the vegetables and sauce for a delicious combination.
Quinoa: For a healthier alternative to rice or noodles, serve the stir fry with cooked quinoa. Quinoa adds a nutty taste and a satisfying texture to the dish.
Lettuce Wraps: For a lighter option, serve the sweet and sour vegetables in lettuce cups. Simply spoon the stir fry into large lettuce leaves, such as iceberg or butter lettuce, and roll them up like wraps.
Tofu or Tempeh: Add a protein component to your meal by including tofu or tempeh in the stir fry. You can marinate and stir-fry them along with the vegetables or serve them on the side.
Garnishes: Sprinkle some chopped green onions, cilantro, or sesame seeds over the sweet and sour vegetable stir fry.
Side dishes: Consider serving the stir fry with additional side dishes like steamed or stir-fried bok choy, broccoli, or snap peas.
Storage
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheating: Reheat in a pan over medium heat or in the microwave until heated through. Add a splash of water or broth if needed to loosen the sauce.
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Sweet and Sour Vegetable Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil approx 1/4 cup
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 red bell pepper roughly chopped
- 1 orange bell pepper roughly chopped
- 2 carrots thinly sliced
- 250 g cooked chickpeas approx 1 1/4 cups
- 100 g green beans sliced into 2 cm (approx 1 cup)
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp paprika
- 3 tbsp Chinese Sweet & Sour Concentrate combined with 350 ml hot water approx 1 1/2 cups) or your homemade sauce (see recipe in post)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
- Add the chopped onion to the skillet and sauté for about 2-3 minutes until it becomes translucent.
- Add the chopped red and orange bell peppers to the skillet and stir-fry for another 2 minutes until they start to soften.
- Next, add the thinly sliced carrots and continue to stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes until the carrots begin to soften slightly.
- Add the cooked chickpeas and green beans to the skillet and stir-fry for an additional 2 minutes to heat them through.
- Stir in the chopped garlic, salt, pepper, and paprika, and cook for about 1 minute until the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Reduce the heat to medium and pour in the Chinese Sweet & Sour Concentrate combined with hot water. Stir well to combine all the ingredients.
- Allow the mixture to simmer for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are cooked to your desired tenderness and the sauce thickens slightly.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, adding more salt, pepper, or paprika according to your preference.
- Once the vegetables are cooked and the sauce has thickened, remove the skillet from the heat.
- Serve the sweet and sour vegetable stir fry hot as a side dish or over steamed rice as a main course.
