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.
1 diced red bell pepper
Add the chopped mushrooms to the skillet and stir fry until softened and they start to brown. Push the mushrooms to the sides and drizzle a light drop of oil in the center. Add the garlic and ginger and sautée until fragrant, taking care not to burn the garlic. Give everything a good toss to coat.
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..
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!