This Thai Vegetable Stir Fry is a variation of the classic Thai Chicken Cashew a favourite amongst Thai recipes, no question. It’s also one of the few things in Thailand that you can eat without setting your mouth on fire. It’s a safe haven for those who aren’t used to the extreme spice that Thailand has to offer.
Now that we’re on a mission to eat less meat and more vegetables we have opted to make this old-time favourite without the chicken, turning it into a quick and easy meat-free dinner that is absolutely delicious.
This dish combines beautiful vegetables with a well-rounded sauce, giving you a hint of sweetness. It’s then topped with cashew nuts that deliver a burst of flavour.
This sauce is an amazing base and can be added to many recipe variations including noodle-based vegetable dishes. Don’t forget to add a chilli or two if you enjoy a bit of extra spice.
Which Vegetables to Use?
You don’t have to follow the exact list of vegetables in this recipe, as long as you substitute roughly the same amount of vegetables for what you already have in the fridge, you’ll be fine. We like using red and/or green peppers as a standard as it feels a bit more authentic, but it’s not 100% essential. You can cut the vegetable Julienne style as pictured or for a more chunky feel you can chop them roughly by halving lengthwise and then chopping at a slight angle at around 1cm thickness as that creates an interesting mix of shapes.
Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
If you are following a fully vegetarian or vegan diet and not just reducing meat consumption you can easily find a replacement for traditional oyster sauce. Vegetarian Oyster Sauce is normally made of mushrooms so there is no need to worry about losing some of the authentic flavours for this dish.
Thai Vegetable Stir Fry with Cashew Nuts
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp vegetarian or regular oyster sauce
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 80 ml water
For the Vegetable Stir Fry
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup raw organic cashew nuts
- 4-5 organic garlic cloves crushed
- 1 organic onion chopped
- 2 organic red and/or green pepper chopped
- 1 courgette/zucchini sliced thinly or prepared with a Julienne Peeler
- 2 carrots thinly sliced or prepared with a Julienne Peeler
- 2 spring onions finely chopped
Instructions
- First, combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
- Over medium to high heat add 1 tbsp of oil to the wok. When the oil has heated up add the cashew nuts and fry for roughly 1-2 minutes be careful not to burn them. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
- Next, add the rest of the oil along with the onion and garlic to the pan and fry for one minute. Then add the chopped peppers, courgette and carrot to the pan. Stir fry until tender.
- Lastly, add the sauce and cashews and cook for around five minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the spring onion and serve with fragrant Jasmin rice
Notes
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