Asian Vegetable Stir Fry with Ground Beef

Asian Vegetable Stir Fry

A great way to enjoy a variety of fresh vegetables is by making a stir fry. I looked in the fridge and found an abundance of vegetables I had purchased during the week, but have not had a chance to use. The recipe below contains all those vegetables, but please feel free to use whatever you have on hand or want to eat. This recipe can also be made without the ground beef, or with a different protein, such as firm tofu, chicken breasts or pork.

Cutting the vegetables can be time consuming and because I planned on making this after work, I cleaned and cut the vegetables in the morning and placed them in the refrigerator. To save even more time, the sauce can be made a day ahead. Make sure the sauce is completely cooled and place in a tight container and store in the refrigerator.

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

3 Mexican squash, sliced and quartered (about 2 cups)
2 Carrots, cut on an angle (about 1 cup)
1 Head of broccoli, florets separated from the stem and the stems cut into small pieces about the same size as the squash and carrot (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 Eggplant, skin removed and diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 Brown onion, cut into large chunks

1 pound of ground beef

Sauce:
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoons sambal oelek (if you like it spicy, add 2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup naturally brewed dark soy sauce
1 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup naturally brewed rice vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water mixed together.
1 tablespoon cooking oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Step 1: Prepare all the vegetables and place in a bowl.
Step 2: In a large nonstick wok or skillet, turn the heat on to medium and add the ground beef. Use a wooden spoon, break up the meat into little chunks and season with salt and pepper. Cook meat until no longer pink inside. Put the meat in a bowl and reserve.
Step 3: While the meat is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in a small sauce pan and add the minced garlic and ginger. Cook until fragrant and add the sambal, soy sauce, sugar and vinegar. Bring to a simmer and add the cornstarch. Stir until sauce is thick, taste and adjust flavors if necessary. If the sauce is to your liking, turn the heat off and remove the sauce pan. Reserve for later use.
Step 4: Add all the vegetables to the pan the pork was cooking in and saute until vegetables are cooked to your liking. Some people like it crunchy and some like it soft. I prefer my vegetables to have a nice crunch.
Step 5: Add the reserved sauce and meat to the vegetables and mix until blended and everything is heated through.
Step 6: Turn off the heat and serve vegetables over brown rice.

Asian vegetable Stir Fry