The nutourious (aren’t I charming?) and easy peanut sauce is absolutely amazing and we’ve been looking for excuses to use it again ever since. During our quest, we stumbled upon this beautiful vegetable stir fry.
Not only is it beginner friendly, but this meal only takes 25 minutes, making it a great option for an easy dinner.
You can also decide to use your favourite veggies (the peanut stir fry sauce is the real star of the show), but we’ve highlighted some great choices for you below!
Ingredients
Vegetables
Pick whatever suits your taste. If you’re not a big fan of cauliflower, sugar snap peas or broccoli like we used, you can swap that out for some lettuce to bulk up the dish or even mushrooms if you’re feeling fungy (sorry, I’ll stop).
Noodles
If this dish was a building, the noodles would be the rebars, so it’s incredibly important you pick out the right one. Instead of glass noodles, you can opt for whole wheat pasta (they’re weight loss friendly!).
Spices & sauces
There’s ginger, garlic and we also picked out soy and sweet chilli as the sauce ingredients but stir fries are all about heat, so consider using some hot sauce mixed with some maple syrup as a substitute for the sweet chilli.
As for the soy, either dark or light would do just fine.
Peanuts
The Peanut butter and the fresh peanuts are groundbreaking additions to this meal. I mean, regular stir fries are cool and all, but when they’re thrown into a revolutionary creamy sauce, you’ve got yourself a new addiction. Either crunchy or smooth peanut butter would do just fine.
Health benefits
1 serving contains:
We like to know that what we eat is not only delicious but also good for us.
If you throw your favourite veggies in this meal then you’re going to get the benefits associated with this – and veggies are normally packed full of fiber, antioxidants and other nutrients that your body loves.
But peanut butter deserves a mention too. While there isn’t much nutritional information about it in terms of long-term health outcomes, we know peanut butter’s nutritional profile shows us the spread is full of protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals which is great.
Speaking of protein, we’ve got tons of weight-loss-friendly inspo in our free 7-day high-protein meal plan, so be sure to check that out.
How to make the best peanut sauce stir fry
Preparation:
- Make sure you gather all your ingredients in one place and that your frozen veggies have thawed completely before proceeding.
- Cut all your vegetables into smaller pieces, dice your garlic and ginger too and set them aside in a small bowl.
- Cook your noodles so they’re handy when the stir fry’s ready. Drain noodles and don’t forget to rinse them under some chilly water lest they clump up.
For the sauce:
- Combine peanut butter, sweet chili sauce, water, maple syrup, lemon grass (optional) and soy sauce into a large bowl and stir into a creamy peanut butter mixture until your wet ingredients are well combined.
Frying:
- Pour a tablespoon of oil into a wok, large skillet or hot pan and heat until it’s nice and smoky.
- Throw in the garlic, onions, sugar snaps and baby corn. Wait for 40 seconds then add your thawed or fresh veggies.
- Stir for a bit then put it on low heat, but don’t turn it off just yet.
- It’s time for the spicy peanut sauce and noodles! After you add those, your dish should begin to boil.
- Make sure it’s super creamy and if not, add a little water. Add the peanuts too.
- Let it simmer for a few minutes (4-5 should do the trick) and after that, take out the lemon grass and sprinkle some sesame seeds (if you please) before serving.
Place your delicious dish in a bowl, admire your peanut noodle stir fry for a bit and proceed to chuck it all down. Don’t be shy, I know you want to.
Easy Vegetable Stir Fry with Creamy Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
For the stir-fry
- 1 tbsp peanut oil (sunflower oil will do too.)
- 1 clove garlic (peeled and diced)
- 1 piece ginger, fresh (thumb sized, peeled and grated)
- 1 onion (peeled and diced)
- 2-3 cups vegetables, fresh or frozen (choose your favourite: broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, etc.)
- 1 big handful snow peas (or sugar snap peas)
- 6-8 baby corns
- 3.5 oz noodles (I love glass noodles as they’re really quick to cook and taste great!)
- 1 handful peanuts
For the peanut sauce
- 2 tbsp peanut butter (crunchy would be nice)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (light or dark are both great)
- 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
Optional
- 1 stick lemongrass
Instructions
Preparation:
-
Get all ingredients ready and in one place. Thaw the frozen veggies (with a microwave or by taking them out of the freezer early enough).2-3 cups vegetables, fresh or frozen
-
Chop the snow peas, baby corn and onion. Dice the garlic and ginger.1 clove garlic, 1 onion, 1 big handful snow peas, 6-8 baby corns, 1 piece ginger, fresh
-
Cook the noodles so you have them at hand when the stir-fry comes together. When ready, drain and rinse under cold water (they’ll stick together less).3.5 oz noodles
For the sauce:
-
Grab a large bowl and chuck in the peanut butter, soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, water, syrup. Mix well with a spoon ‘til it’s a nice and creamy sauce. Optionally, throw in the lemon grass.2 tbsp peanut butter, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce, ¼ cup water, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1 stick lemongrass
Now you’re ready to wok and roll:
-
In a wok or large pan heat the oil until it starts smoking.1 tbsp peanut oil
-
Add the garlic, ginger, onion, sugar snaps and baby corn.
-
Around 40 seconds later add the thawed veggies. (If you just use fresh veg, throw in everything at once).
-
Stir it well for about 4-5 minutes.
-
Reduce the heat a little and add the sauce and noodles. It’ll quickly begin to boil.
-
Make sure it’s all nice and creamy. Add a little more water, if not!
-
Add some peanuts.1 handful peanuts
-
Let it simmer for another 3-5 minutes.
-
Fish out the lemon grass before serving (it’s only for the flavour, not for eating!!)
-
Done!
