Here is an easy veggie Asian stir-fry for your next Chinese food craving. There are a lot of ingredients in the list below, but stay with me. This is the kind of recipe that can be improvised and feature whatever veggies you have on hand. For me, that meant using up a couple of half-used bags of frozen vegetables I had sitting in my freezer for a while.

The ginger and garlic blast you with their fragrance when they hit the hot pan and give this dish a great kick, and the sauce bubbles and thickens beautifully as it cooks. Tip: don’t skimp on the arrowroot powder (or cornstarch), but other than that, you can adjust the sauce to be whatever you’re craving; add more crushed red pepper flakes if you want spice, a touch more sugar if you want sweet, and more rice wine vinegar if you want sweet & sour. Basically, take this recipe and run with it. And, you can reinvent it every week with different veggies for a new weeknight staple!

Ingredients
1 cup white rice
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
5 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 pkg frozen stir-fry mix (broccoli, snow peas, carrots, water chestnuts)
1/2 pkg frozen green beans (optional, or whatever you have on hand)
1/2 cup matchstick carrots (optional, or whatever you have on hand)
2 Tbsp olive oil

Instructions
Cook rice in rice cooker or in 2 cups simmering water. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, water, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, red pepper flakes, ground ginger, and arrowroot powder and set aside. In a deep skillet, bring about 2 inches of water to a boil and cook frozen vegetables for 2 minutes, then strain in a colander, rinse with cold water, and let drain completely. Wipe out skillet, add 2 Tbsp olive oil, and turn on medium heat. Cook sliced bell pepper, mushrooms, and matchstick carrots for about 5 minutes or until the peppers are softened and mushrooms are slightly browned. Next, add the minced garlic and grated ginger and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the strained vegetables and the reserved soy sauce mixture and cook for about 2-3 minutes on medium high, stirring frequently as the sauce thickens. Once the sauce is thick and evenly distributed, serve over white rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds as a garnish if you’d like.

Serves 2