Recipes

Sweet and Sour Stir Fried Vegetables

Pad Pak Preow Wan

Mixed vegetables stir-fried in a tangy sweet and sour sauce

Prep

10 min

Cook

5 min

Serves

4

Heat

mild

This stir-fry shows Chinese culinary influence clearly in its sweet and sour profile, but the seasoning — fish sauce, a little chili, sweet chili sauce — keeps it distinctly Thai. Carrot, onion, and mushroom go into the wok first since they need the longest to soften, while tomato and cucumber go in only at the very end, just long enough to warm through without losing their crunch. The result is a vibrant, colorful mix of vegetables in a tangy caramel-colored sauce, flexible enough to swap in whatever vegetables happen to be on hand as long as the cooking order stays roughly the same.

Ingredients

• 1.6 cups Carrot, thinly sliced
• 1.6 cups Snow peas
• 3/4 Brown or yellow onion (sliced)
• 3/4 Tomato (cut into wedges)
• 1.6 cups Cucumber (sliced)
• 4/5 cup Straw mushroom (halved)
• 1-2 Thai long chili (sliced diagonally)
• 5-6 Garlic, large cloves (chopped)
• 2/5 teaspoon White pepper, finely ground
• 2/5 teaspoon Sugar
• 1 3/5 tablespoons Light soy sauce
• 1 3/5 tablespoons Fish sauce
• 4/5 tablespoon Oyster sauce
• 1 3/5 tablespoons Sweet and spicy dipping sauce
• 1 3/5 tablespoons Distilled white vinegar
• 1 3/5 tablespoons Vegetable oil

Directions

1. Prep all vegetables, keeping in mind hard ones go in first and soft ones (tomato, cucumber) go in last.
2. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add the garlic and cook for a few seconds.
3. Add the onion and cook briefly, then add the carrot. Let the carrot cook for about 2 minutes to start softening.
4. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking until softened.
5. Add the white pepper, sugar, and all the sauces plus the vinegar. Stir well and let it cook until the liquid turns a rich caramel color.
6. Add the snow peas and chili. Stir for about 30 seconds.
7. Add the tomato and cucumber. Stir well and cook just until the tomato starts to soften — don't overcook, since the vegetables should stay crunchy. Remove from heat and plate right away.
8. Garnish with cilantro, celery tops, or parsley. Serve as a side dish or over steamed rice.

Notes

Stage the vegetables by hardness — carrot and onion first, then mushroom, then snow peas and chili, and finally tomato and cucumber — so everything finishes with the same crisp texture instead of some pieces turning mushy while others stay raw.

Substitutions

Any combination of vegetables works here — bell pepper, broccoli, baby corn, or cauliflower can all be swapped in, just adjust cooking order so hard vegetables go in first and soft ones last.