The Best Asian Vegetables

What goes with sushi as a side dish?

Occasionally, we like to have take-out sushi for dinner. When we do, I will make either this fried rice recipe or these Asian Vegetables as a side dish.  

I particularly like these Asian Vegetables as a side dish because I leave the veggies in big enough chunks to make them easy to eat with chopsticks.

After all, chopsticks are part of the fun of eating sushi for dinner!

Vegetable Side Dish for Sushi or Chinese Take Out

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The Best Asian Vegetables

My vegetable preferences for this side dish are broccoli, zucchini, red bell pepper, and onions.  This is not a traditional Asian vegetable side dish. It is a simple, but delicious, mixture that is easy to whip up while the sushi is being fetched. The Asian flavor in this vegetable dish comes from a simple and easy-to-prepare sauce.

Tips for Tasty Asian-Flavored Vegetables

Use vegetables you have on hand. Sushi takeout is usually a last-minute decision so making a flavorful vegetable side dish requires using vegetables on hand in the fridge. You can use any vegetables you like but these are colorful and complement the sushi well.  

To bulk up the dish and add some crunch think about adding some chopped bok choy or sliced water chestnuts if you have them on hand.

Use an Asian sauce to flavor the vegetables. The sauce in this vegetable recipe is my go-to sauce for all things Asian.  It is a mixture of soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and ginger paste in a 3-2-1-1 ratio. 

 

You can easily adjust the amount of sauce you make using the ratio.  For my sushi and Asian Vegetable dinner, I would double the recipe, using tablespoons.  Half of the sauce would be used as a dipping sauce for my sushi.

Add flavor to the vegetables by browning them. Notice the nice color on the zucchini in the picture above.  I like to get the zucchini nice and browned for added flavor.  Asian vegetables are typically cooked quickly at high heat and don't get browned.  I happen to like the added flavor from browning in this dish.

Don't crowd the vegetables, One of the keys to success in preparing these vegetables is to have a big enough pan.  You don't want your vegetables to steam so they need room to spread out in the pan. I use this 14-inch Rachel Ray frying pan (affiliate link) to make these vegetables and it is a perfect size. A wok will work, too, if you have one.

Asian zucchini, Asian vegetables,

dinner

Asian

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Donna Urso

Asian Vegetable Side Dish

A colorful and crunchy side dish of zucchini, broccoli, onion, and red bell pepper mixed with a tasty Asian sauce.

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min

Ingredients

• two Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 medium zucchini
• 2 cups fresh broccoli florets
• one large onion, sliced
• one red bell pepper, cut into strips
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 Tablespoon ginger paste
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, optional

Instructions

1. Mix together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and ginger paste in a small bowl. You can mix in a tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken the sauce as it cooks. I don't. It's totally optional.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Lay the zucchini slices in the pan, cut side down so they will brown nicely. Cook until browned on one side and then flip. Remove from pan.
4. Add the broccoli, onion, and bell pepper to the pan, spreading them out so they are not crowded.
5. Cook until they have softened but still have some crunch.
6. Add the zucchini back to the pan.
7. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and stir to combine. Cook for a minute or two in the sauce, letting the sauce reduce a bit.
8. Serve immediately.

Recommended Products

Rachael Ray 14-inch frying pan

USA Half Sheet Pans

7-inch Santoku Knife

Nutrition Facts

Calories

179.79

Fat (grams)

11.86 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

1.21 g

Carbs (grams)

16.57 g

Fiber (grams)

4.56 g

Net carbs

12.02 g

Sugar (grams)

5.68 g

Protein (grams)

4.74 g

Sodium (milligrams)

694.29 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

0.00 mg

Nutrional information is approximate.

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