Sweet And Sour Vegetables

Sweet and sour vegetables made with mixed vegetables. delectable sticky sweet and sour sauce and finished with crunchy sesame seeds. Vegan and can be easily made gluten free. Best served as accompaniment with fried rice, noodles, hakka noodles.

Indo Chinese special sweet and sour vegetables just like the ones from your favorite restaurant. Flavorful, full of umami, easy to make and a best side dish in any Asian meal.

For more Indo Chinese recipes please check gobi manchurian, chilli paneer, chilli potato, spring rolls recipes.

I have written a lot about the popularity, taste and my fondness for Indo Chinese recipes in the blog many times 🙂 I simply love these recipes as they are both super easy to make and tastes very very delicious. Also they get ready in minutes once you chop the vegetables

Whenever I am blank about what to cook for dinner or need something quick, easy and satiating dinner recipes I resort to easy Indo Chinese recipes like this sweet and sour vegetables recipe, kung pao tofu, easy vegetable stir fry, pho, manchow soup etc. All these go very well with even plain basmati rice or brown rice, so dinner ready in minutes.

If you love Chinese takeout and want to try your hands at it, this is the perfect recipe to start. It is super delicious, versatile and really easy to make too.

About This Recipe

What Are Sweet And Sour Vegetables?

As per the name suggests this is a delicious dish of sautéed vegetables tossed in a sticky sweet sour sauce with usual Indo Chinese fixings like celery, ginger garlic, sesame seeds etc.

You can use two or vegetables for this recipe to make the flavors and textures interesting. I usually use a mix of cauliflower, beans, carrots, bell pepper, bok choy, baby corn, broccoli and onions. Just use whatever you have handy from this list.

The sweet sour sauce is a very tasty and flavorful one made with minced ginger garlic, chilli flakes, soy sauce, hot sauce, brown sugar, vinegar with a bit of corn flour or corn starch. There are also some variations you can make in this sauce which I have mentioned in notes.

Unlike many recipes of sweet and sour vegetables you may find online or in books, mine is a one pot recipe. I do not boil or steam the vegetables separately but saute and flash cook with just a bit of water. This technique lends a wonderful smoky flavor to the vegetables, cooks them just as required retaining the crunch and shape.

This is a vegan recipe and the only gluten free ingredient is soy sauce. You can easily use tamari or liquid aminos to make gluten free sweet and sour vegetables. Do try this easy sweet and sour vegetables and enjoy! It is

super easy to make

ready in 30 minutes

exotic addition to the dinner table

vegan recipe

better than takeout

delicious with noodles, fried rice, plain rice

Ingredients You Will Need

Vegetables– As mentioned above two or more vegetables for a wonderful texture and flavor. Here I have used carrot, baby corn, bell pepper, onion etc.

You can also add pineapple chunks, snow peas in this recipe.

Ginger garlic– I like to use a generous amount of freshly minced ginger garlic for this recipe. You can also use ginger garlic paste if you like.

Red pepper flakes– Chili flakes or red pepper flakes for heat. If you want to make sweet and sour vegetables less spicy you can skip it.

Soy sauce– I prefer to use dark soy sauce for this recipe. If you want a mild flavor you can use light ones or even sweet soy sauce. Try to use naturally brewed low sodium sauce if possible. If you are using regular ones add 1.5 tablespoons and not 3 tablespoons as mentioned in the recipe.

Chili paste– I have used homemade red chilli paste for heat. You can also use any hot sauce like sriracha or even red chili sauce. For a different flavor you can also a bit of green chili sauce.

Vinegar– Any good quality one for the sour taste and flavor. You can use rice, rice wine or apple cider too. I have used apple cider vinegar.

Pineapple juice– I always add a bit of pineapple juice in sweet and sour vegetables recipe. It lends a wonderful sweet taste, umami and a deep flavor.

Others– celery, green onions, salt and pepper. Use freshly cracked pepper for best flavor. If you want a milder flavor you can use white pepper too.

How To Make Sweet And Sour Vegetables Recipe

Preparation

Mince fresh ginger and garlic, finely chop the celery. Cut the vegetables into bite sized cubes. Separate cauliflower into florets.

Add 1 tablespoon corn flour to a small bowl.

To that add 1 cup water and make a lump free slurry. Keep aside.

Make Stir Fry Vegetables

Heat 2 tablespoons sesame oil in a saute pan or Chinese wok. Once the oil is smoking hot, lower the flame and add minced ginger, minced 2 cloves garlic, celery and chili flakes. Saute for a minute.

Add cubed onions and saute for another minute in high heat.

Add the cubed vegetables and increase the flame to highest.

Now continuously saute the vegetables in high heat for 2-3 minutes.

Add 6 tablespoons water and cover the pan immediately with a tight lid.

Let cook in medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until the water is absorbed. This method will cook the veggies by retaining the color and shape, keeps them cooked yet crunchy and also imparts a wonderful smoky flavor.

Once the vegetables are cooked, open the pan and mix once.

Making sweet and sour vegetables

Add 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar, red chili paste.

Mix well and also add 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 4 tablespoons pineapple juice. Mix well.

Now add the prepared corn flour slurry, salt and pepper to taste.

Mix and cook till the sauce thickens to your desired consistency.

Finally throw in the sesame seeds and mix.

Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot.

Serving Suggestions

Serve sweet and sour vegetables as side in any of your favorite Asian menu. It particularly tastes delicious with hakka noodles, garlic noodles, vegetable fried rice, plain steamed basmati rice or jasmine rice.

This dish tastes best only when served immediately after making piping hot.

FAQs

What other vegetables can be added in this recipe?

Bean sprouts, water chestnuts, corn on cob, edamame beans can be used in this dish.

Which oil is best for sweet and sour vegetables?

I prefer to use sesame oil in this recipe for authentic flavor. You can also use any vegetable oil.

Can I skip pineapple juice?

Yes, if you don’t have it just leave it out or you may add orange juice. Some tomato ketchup or sweet and sour tomato sauce can also be added.

How to make this dish gluten free?

Use gluten free tamari instead of soy sauce.

What can I add instead of corn flour?

rice flour, plain flour.

Pro Tips

While stir frying vegetables make sure to do it in the high heat for maximum flavor.

Add any vegetable you like in this recipe.

You can double or halve the recipe.

More Easy Vegetables Recipes

Mixed veg curry

Kadai vegetables

thai yellow curry

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