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easy vegetable stir fry

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Easy vegetable stir fry is a simple dish to prepare and cook, making it an ideal mid-week dinner for those busy nights!

Easy vegetable stir fry is one of those dishes that I cook regularly mid week. This stir fry is prepared and cooked in very little time, making it perfect for those busy night we all have through the week.

I like these noodles as they are quite a dry noodle, not too much sauce in this vegetable stir fry noodles recipe. The flavouring is not too strong, so the flavour of the stir fry vegetables really shines through.

I have always enjoyed vegetables and I think that stir frying is one of the tastiest methods of cooking vegetables.

Stir frying, provided the vegetables are not overcooked, really allows the flavour of each individual vegetable to shine through.

What’s more, my family all love this dish, making it a great dish for achieving those 5-a-day! What’s more this is a great dish for those meat-free days that I like have 2-3 times every week.

When stir fried I find that there is not a vegetable that my family will not eat (aside from mushrooms)! It’s a great way of packing vegetables into our diets.

How to make this vegetable stir fry recipe?

ingredients for a vegetable noodle stir fry
For easy of cooking, look out all your ingredients before you start!
adding sesame oil to cooked noodles so they don't stick together
Cook the noodles as per the instructions on the packet. Reduce cooking time by 1 minute as you will be stir frying later. Drain and pour over some sesame oil to stock the noodles sticking together. Set aside.
adding broccoli to a pan of boiling water
Cook the broccoli in boiling, salted water for 2 minutes. Drain and plunge into ice-cold water to stop it cooking and help the broccoli retain its colour. Set aside.
Chopped vegetables for a stir fry, including baby sweetcorn, red pepper, mangetout, spring onions, red onions, chillies and grated ginger.
Prepare the remaining vegetables.
red onions, garlic, red chilies and grated ginger being fried in a wok.
Pour the oil into a large non-stick wok or frying pan. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli. and fry for 3 minutes.
Add in the remaining vegetables and fry for a further 2 minutes. Do not overcook the vegetables, you want them to retain their bite!
vegetable noodle stir fry
First add the noodles and curry powder into the wok and give it a cook stir to combine and warm the noodle through. Finally add back in the broccoli along with the soy sauce and sesame oil Stir to combine and serve immediately garnished with spring onion and sesame seeds.

Why do you stir-fry some vegetables first?

When I’m cooking this easy vegetable stir fry I like to cook the onions, along with the garlic, ginger and chilli, will allow the onion to just cook out a little before you add in the remaining vegetables. Worth noting, if adding carrot I would add at this point too!

You don’t want to overcook the rest of the vegetables, they need to retain some crunch. So, add these once the onions have softened a little.

Why do you blanch the broccoli before stir frying?

Broccoli needs a little extra cooking, but the florets can break apart if you add them with the rest of the stir fried mixed vegetables.

So instead I recommend blanching the broccoli first in some boiling water. I plunge it into cold water to stop it cooking and to retain the vibrant green colour.

Then when I’m ready to finish the stir fry I put the broccoli into the wok to heat up along with the noodles.

Easy substitutions:

Stir fried mixed vegetables:

The selection of stir fried mixed vegetables used in this recipe are purely for guidance only. Feel free to add a selection of vegetables that you and your family really enjoy eating!

Here are some vegetable suggestions for making stir fried mixed vegetables:

  • sugar snap peas
  • green beans
  • carrots
  • brussels sprouts
  • baby spinach
  • Swiss chard
  • pak choy
  • cauliflower
  • mushrooms
  • beansprouts
  • tinned bamboo shoots
  • tinned water chestnuts

Curry powder:

I have used a tablespoon of curry powder in this stir fry, a medium Madras blend. I prefer using curry powder to a paste in this instance, as I want these to be quite a dry noodle, rather than one with sauce.

However, you could substitute with any spice blend. Chinese 5-spice would be the obvious choice in this dish and would work well with the noodles.

Can I prepare vegetable stir fry noodles ahead of time?

This dish is best cooked and eaten straight from the wok. But, that’s not to say that you can’t do a little preparation ahead of time!

Vegetables:

If you want to prepare some of this dish ahead of time, you can prepare all the vegetables and pop them in a bowl in the fridge until you are ready to cook.

You can also blanch the broccoli in advance, draining it and plunging into iced water to stop it cooking further. Once cooled down, drain away the ice water and set aside until you are ready.

Noodles:

The noodles can also be cooked ahead of time. Cook the noodles as per pack instructions, reducing cooking time by a minute as you will be stir frying them later.

Once cooked, drain and plunged the noodles into cold water to cool. This stops the noodles from cooking any further.

Once cooled, drain any excess water off. My top tip for stopping the noodles from sticking together is to toss the cold noodles in some sesame oil. Leave aside until ready to cook.

How to adapt this recipe for vegan diners?

This recipe vegetable stir fry noodles uses egg noodles as that is what my family enjoy eating.

However, if you are cooking this dish for vegan diners, replace the egg noodles with a wholewheat or rice based noodle, or something similar.

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Additional recipe suggestions:

If you like this quick and easy recipe then try some of our other stir fry dishes:

Main dishes:

Side dishes:

For other great ideas for feeding the family have a look at our Ultimate Guide to Family Dining, which is full of recipes, hint and tips.

Easy Vegetable Stir Fry with Noodles

Easy vegetable stir fry is a simple dish to prepare and cook, making it an ideal mid-week dinner for those busy nights!
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 425kcal
Author: Lesley Garden

Equipment

  • Wok or large, high sided frying pan

Ingredients

  • 200 g egg noodles (or similar)
  • 225 g broccoli (cut into florets)
  • 2 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 1 onion (sliced)
  • 3 cloves garlic (crushed)
  • 5 cm root ginger (grated)
  • 2 red finger chillies (sliced)
  • 75 g mange tout (cut in half)
  • 100 g baby sweetcorn (cut in half)
  • 1 red pepper (cored and sliced)
  • 1 tbsp curry powder (use mild or medium)
  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil

Garnish:

  • 4 sprlng onions (finely sliced)
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds (lightly toasted)

Instructions

  • Start by putting the kettle on to boil and once boiling, fill 2 saucepans with salted boiling water.
  • Place the noodles in the second pan of boiling water and cook as per the instructions on the packet. Remove the noodles one minute before the total cook time as you will be cooking for a further minute in the stir fry. [So if instructions say cook for 5 minutes, only cook for 4 and drain]. Set aside.
  • Meanwhile cut the broccoli into florets and place into one of the saucepans of boiling water. Boil for 2 minutes then drain and plunge into ice cold water to stop the broccoli from cooking any further. Set aside.
  • Heat the sunflower oil in a large wok until searing hot. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli and cook quickly for 3 minutes.
  • Add the mange tout, baby sweetcorn and red pepper and cook for a further 2 minutes.
  • Now add in the cooked noodles, along with the curry powder, stirring quickly to combine. Before adding in the broccoli, light soy sauce and sesame oil.
  • Give everything a good toss in the pan to ensure the noodles and broccoli are hot and when ready serve into bowls. Garnish each bowl with some sliced spring onions and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Notes

The selection of vegetables used in this recipe are purely for guidance. Feel free to add a selection of vegetables that you and your family really enjoy eating!
If cooking this dish for vegan diners, replace the egg noodles with a rice based noodle or something similar.
If you want to prepare some of this dish ahead of time, you can prepare all the vegetables, and blanch the broccoli before draining it and plunging into iced water to stop it cooking further. Once cooled down, drain and set aside until you are ready.
The noodles can also be cooked, drained and plunged into cold water to cool. Then drain completely and a tip for stopping the noodles from sticking together is to toss the cold noodles in some sesame oil. Leave aside until ready to cook.
Nutrition Facts
Easy Vegetable Stir Fry with Noodles
Amount Per Serving
Calories 425 Calories from Fat 162
% Daily Value*
Fat 18g28%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 42mg14%
Sodium 544mg24%
Potassium 676mg19%
Carbohydrates 56g19%
Fiber 7g29%
Sugar 8g9%
Protein 13g26%
Vitamin A 1913IU38%
Vitamin C 138mg167%
Calcium 104mg10%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

• Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only •

Course : Main Course
Cuisine : Asian, Chinese
Keyword : Easy, easy vegetable stir fry, Quick, quick meals, stir fried vegetables, stir fry, vegetarian
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Recipe Rating




5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

Chloe Edges

Sunday 28th of February 2021

This looks delicious, A great simple veg stir fry is a must in any Asian feast!

Lesley

Monday 1st of March 2021

Thank you Chloe, I couldn't agree more, this dish is perfect on any Asian banquet table.

Cat

Friday 26th of February 2021

So delicious! I love how versatile it is and you can add so many different vegetables!

Lesley

Monday 1st of March 2021

Thank you Cat, this is one of those recipes that you can change up quickly, depending on what you have in the fridge.

5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)