Moo Shu Vegetables

The longer I've been in the food-writing business, the more I'm convinced that we professionals have got it backwards. The veggies shouldn't be the side dish, the afterthought on the plate's edge. They should be the center.

No, I'm not going back to being a vegetarian. (Some day, I'll tell you about my fall from grace with a steak off the grill.) As Bart Simpson says, "I love the taste of death." But there's no gainsaying that veggies deserve a much bigger place at our tables. We need to eat lots of vegetarian meals, not only for our hearts' sakes, but also for the planet's.

Problem is, in America we tend to think of vegetarian meals as a bunch of steamed, mushy broccoli on a plain plate. Simply put, "Gack."

So here's a meal that's flavorful and healthy--and vegan, to boot. Bruce even left out the egg, sometimes traditional in Moo Shu preparations. He also cut down the oil to make sure the dish wasn't some calorie-fest. We ate it straight (as it were), no rice necessary--but I can see how a little sticky rice or even medium-grained brown rice would be quite the thing.

Prep the veggies first because a stir-fry is all about speed. Cut 3 medium carrots into thin matchsticks, slice 1/2 pound green beans lengthwise in half, and dice 1 small, seeded green bell pepper. Also cut up the leaves from half a Napa or Chinese cabbage, laying the thing on your cutting board and then slicing down across the leaves so they fall into bite-sized chunks. Set all these veggies aside.

Next, prepare the aromatics. Mix 4 minced scallions, 2 minced garlic cloves, and 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger in a small bowl.

And finally, prepare the sauce. Mix 3 tablespoons hoi sin sauce, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, 1 teaspoon Asian chile oil, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in a second little bowl.

Now you're ready to get cooking. Heat a large wok over high heat. Don't be afraid. Turn the burner up as high as it will go. Once the wok is smoking--it should take a few minutes--pour in 2 teaspoons peanut oil.

Add those aromatics (the scallions, garlic, and ginger). Despite all the pop and sizzle, stir-fry just 20 seconds.

Now dump in the veggies (the carrots, green beans, bell pepper, and cabbage). Stir-fry just until crisp-tender, maybe 2 minutes. Don't overcook them. They need some chew. And of course, keep them moving over the heat. Stir-frying isn't about caramelizing any external sugars; it's about quickly reducing the moisture in vegetables to make them more flavorful.

Now dump in that prepared sauce. Toss over the heat like crazy. As you can see from the photos, Bruce is using a flat, wooden spatula and a wooden spoon. You could also use two wooden spoons. The point is to keep things moving over the heat like crazy.

Once the sauce comes to a simmer in the wok, you're done. I can't think of anything else you might need. Well, OK, this is a Cantonese dish--and we've violated its spirit a bit by putting chile oil in it. You can tell our proclivities. You might want to pass some sambal on the side--or even bottled hot red pepper sauce. After all, veggies love the heat. In or out of the wok.

Comments

[Avigail]

Hi Mark,
Could I use the spring cabbage from this week's CSA share for this recipe instead of the napa or chinese cabbage?
Thanks!
Avi

[Mark Scarbrough]

Hi there. You can--but you'll need to slice it as thinly as possible. And those stems will still be pretty tough unless you slice them down to thin rounds, about like thinly slicing scallions. Not the best choice, but it can work for sure.
M.