Asian Vegetable Sauté
Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 04:00AM 
After our China visit a few of years ago, I realized how fond I was of their vegetable dishes. It was interesting how some simple ingredients cooked with a few seasonings can be so delicious. Prepared this way, vegetables can take on a whole new look and offer a welcome change in flavors.
I recently visited a very large Asian ranch market here. They have everything from fresh produce to meats, bakery products and dry goods as well as everything you’d ever want from a frozen food section. Their selection is amazing and the choices unlimited. It’s quite an interesting experience to roam through the store and check out all the imported foods.
I spoke with one of the clerks in the vegetable area and he told me about seasonings commonly used in Chinese vegetable dishes. After making my selection, I was anxious to get home to begin cooking. I had no idea how it would turn out and was very pleased with the results. It tasted delicious and was amazingly close to the one we had in China.
I served it as a side dish, but it could easily be enjoyed as an entrée over rice or noodles. I used a few vegetables, but after making it I realized many more could be included. If you like Chinese, I think you’ll like this one too.

Asian Vegetable Sauté
3 heads baby bok choy, chopped
½ white onion, roughly chopped
2 C fresh small mushrooms, sliced
10 fresh green beans, cut in pieces
½ red pepper, sliced
½ C fresh cilantro, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 T vegetable oil
For the sauce:
½ C chicken stock
¼ C soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
2 T fish sauce
2 T honey
1 t Mongolian hot pepper oil
¼ C sherry wine
2 T cornstarch, dissolved in some cold water
Freshly ground black pepper
Chop all the vegetables and set aside. Combine the sauce ingredients and blend well.
In a large skillet—or wok—heat the oil. Add the garlic and onion and quickly sauté a couple of minutes first. Toss in the rest of the vegetables and stir to combine them with the onion mixture. Pour in the sauce. Cover and cook a few minutes until the vegetables are tender and the sauce has slightly thickened. Season to taste.
Get out your chopsticks. Your dinner is ready.
Enjoy!
©Pauline Boren 2010
Any questions or comments? Contact me at conservativecook@gmail.com.













