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This vegan mushroom stir fry loaded with umami flavor and veggies makes the perfect simple weeknight meal. The sauce is a light sweet and savory sauce that perfectly coats your favorite noodles for a delicious, nutritious and satisfying easy meal.
The earthiness of the mushrooms in this stir fry is perfectly balanced by the sweetness of red bell peppers. You could opt for broccoli florets instead, snow peas, carrots, asparagus or even fennel, whatever your tastebuds fancy.
About the Mushrooms
If you can splurge on a pound of shiitake or maitake mushrooms by all means use them here, their meaty umami flavor is spectacular. However button mushrooms work just great on a weeknight and it is what I use most of the times. They are a budget friendly option and incredibly nutritious as well. Dice them up (stem and all) and cook them down until they start to brown to enhance their earthy flavor.
A perfectly sweet and savory sauce very “Kung Pao“ inspired with notes of ginger and garlic. I didn’t use any thickeners at all but if you insist you can certainly whisk in 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch or tapioca for a thicker version.
Stir-Fry Noodles
There are so many great noodles to choose from nowadays. Try and reach for a healthy whole grain option when available. I used a wavy millet ramen variety here but you could go for wheat, buckwheat soba, chow mein, udon or a wide rice noodle you fancy. It’s important to boil the noodles until al dente and do not overcook, you want them to hold up to a little tossing in the sauce without breaking. Follow package instructions and keeping in mind that it’s better to undercook a little as you can always finish cooking them in the sauce.
Vinegar – Black vinegar would be an authentic choice to use in a stir fry sauce; however I only had balsamic vinegar in the pantry and happy to report it’s an amazing substitute that we truly loved.
Bamboo Shoots or Water Chestnuts – Two of my favorite canned items to keep in the pantry. They are kind of sweet and nutty at the same time and add a nice refreshing crunch to the dish on top of being highly nutritious. Use them if you have them!
This vegan mushroom stir fry loaded with umami flavor and veggies makes the perfect simple weeknight meal. The sauce is a light sweet and savory sauce that perfectly coats your favorite noodles for a delicious, nutritious and satisfying easy meal.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Blanch the boy choy for a couple of minutes until wilted then using a pair of kitchen tongs transfer to a bowl. (Place a few ice cubes on top of the bok choy to stop the cooking process and brighten up the green). Chop into smaller pieces if desired or just serve whole.
2 bunches baby bok choy
Cook the noodles in the same pot you cooked the bok choy. Take good care not to overcook them so they hold their shape well. Drain and rinse with ice cold water to prevent sticking.
10 oz whole grain ramen or soba noodles
Preheat a large skillet or wok and stir fry the bell pepper or broccoli in a light drizzle of sesame or vegetable oil. (Use water for oil-free WFPB & Plantricious compliance). Once the bell peppers starts to soften transfer to bowl and reserve.
Whisk all the sauce ingredients together then pour over the mushrooms.
1/3 cup Tamari, 1/3 cup water, 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Add the bell pepper (and/or broccoli florets) back into the skillet together with the bamboo shoots or water chestnuts + the blanched bok choy.
1 diced red bell pepper, 2 bunches baby bok choy, 7 oz bamboo shoots or water chestnuts
Add the cooked noodles to the stir fry and toss to coat in the sauce with all the veggies. Serve sprinkled with the chives or scallions, sesame seeds and red chili flakes for heat.
1/3 cup onion or garlic chives, 10 oz whole grain ramen or soba noodles
WFPB + Plantricious
Use water instead of oil, date sugar or syrup and whole grain noodles for WFPB & Plantricious compliance!
Notes
About the Mushrooms- If you can splurge on a pound of shiitake or maitake mushrooms by all means use them here, their meaty umami flavor is spectacular. However button mushrooms work just great on a weeknight and it is what I use most of the times. They are a budget friendly option and incredibly nutritious as well. Dice them up (stem and all) and cook them down until they start to brown to enhance their earthy flavor
Add Ins - grilled tofu, pan seared crumbled tempeh bits, jackfruit, bean sprouts, stir-fried scallions, zucchini, eggplant etc...
Swaps- Instead of noodles you can always serve this stir fry over rice, inside lettuce wraps or alongside some tofu scramble for breakfast..Â
Vinegar - Black vinegar would be an authentic choice to use in a stir fry sauce; however I only had balsamic vinegar in the pantry and happy to report it's an amazing substitute that we truly loved.Â
Bamboo Shoots or Water Chestnuts - Two of my favorite canned items to keep in the pantry. They are kind of sweet and nutty at the same time and add a nice refreshing crunch to the dish on top of being highly nutritious. Use them if you have them!
Hi, I'm Florentina! I'm the voice behind the easy Plant-Based recipes here at the Veggie Society. Peluci is our COO and taste tester in chief! Continue reading…
This was so tasty and super quick to throw together, most importantly the kids absolutely loved it and asked to make it again on Sunday. Another one for the books, will add spinach and water chestnuts next time. Thank you!
This was so tasty and super quick to throw together, most importantly the kids absolutely loved it and asked to make it again on Sunday. Another one for the books, will add spinach and water chestnuts next time. Thank you!