Nothing satisfies my comfort-food craving like an easy Asian vegetable stir-fry with noodles. Tender vegetables and al dente Indo-Chinese–style noodles coated in a thick, tangy sauce — I can almost taste it now.
A super-satisfying, fully vegan weeknight dinner. If you want an even lazier option, coat your noodles with a simple spicy miso sauce or a quick sesame-garlic dressing and skip the full stir-fry step.
The best thing about this vegetable stir-fry is its flexibility: you can use nearly any combination of vegetables. For this version I aimed to recreate the restaurant-style noodles I once loved, so I used a similar mix of vegetables. Broccoli, water chestnuts, sliced chilis, and baby corn also work beautifully, and adding tofu or edamame will boost the protein if you like. Use whatever vegetables you have on hand — the sauce is what brings everything together.
I used regular wheat noodles in this recipe, but feel free to use rice noodles, ramen, or other thin varieties. I recommend thinner noodles rather than very thick udon, because thick noodles can overwhelm the texture of thinly sliced vegetables. If you prefer udon, you can always chop the vegetables into larger pieces to match.
Everything moves quickly in this recipe and dinner should be on the table in under thirty minutes, depending on your chopping speed. Noodles can sometimes hold onto sauce overnight; because this version uses less oil than many takeout-style recipes, I don’t recommend making it far in advance, as the noodles may absorb most of the sauce. If you need leftovers for lunch, add a little more oil when cooking so the next-day texture stays better.
If you want a ten-minute noodle option, try a quick garlic-sesame ramen-style sauce and toss it with pre-cooked noodles and raw or lightly steamed vegetables for fast results.
Serves two large portions (or two regular servings and two small portions). Serve piping hot with chopped scallions scattered over the top.
📖 Recipe
Vegetable Stir Fry with Noodles
Ditch the expensive, unhealthy takeaway. These tangy stir-fried noodles are quick to make and come together in under half an hour.
10 minutes
15 minutes
25 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 onions
- 2 sticks celery
- 3 carrots
- 1 red pepper
- 1 yellow pepper
- 2 handfuls green beans or snow peas
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 2 handfuls beansprouts
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1.5 teaspoons sugar
- ½ cup water, divided (¼ and ¼ cup)
- 6 tablespoons soy sauce, preferably low-sodium
- ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- ½–1 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce
- ½ inch grated ginger
- 2 crushed cloves garlic
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- Scallions for topping, chopped or thinly sliced
- 200 g noodles of choice
Instructions
- Peel the onion and slice in half through the root ends, then slice finely from root to root to produce long thin strips. Slice the celery into half moons, cut the carrots on the slant, and slice the peppers into thin strips (you can cut the pepper strips into three equal lengths). Chop asparagus and green beans to similar lengths as the peppers. If using snow peas, leave them whole.
- Heat the oil on high in a wok or large non-stick frying pan. When the oil is very hot, add the onions, celery, carrots, peppers and green beans or snow peas. Stir-fry for about five minutes.
- While the vegetables cook, bring a pot of water to a boil for the noodles. Mix the lemon juice, sugar and ¼ cup of the water; warm briefly if needed until the sugar dissolves. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, sweet chilli sauce (if using), white pepper, Tabasco or hot sauce, grated ginger and crushed garlic.
- Add the beansprouts to the vegetables and toss well. Mix the remaining ¼ cup water into the cornstarch a little at a time to avoid clumping, then add the cornstarch slurry to the sauce mixture.
- After the beansprouts have cooked for around two minutes, pour in the sauce and turn the heat up. Cook for at least three minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and the cornflour taste has cooked out.
- Cook the noodles according to package instructions, then rinse briefly under cold water to stop cooking. Add the noodles to the wok with the vegetables and sauce, tossing to coat the noodles evenly. Serve immediately topped with chopped scallions.
Notes
Check the vegetables for doneness before adding the sauce. Carrots take the longest to cook, so use them to judge the rest. If you like your vegetables softer, cook for up to five minutes before adding the sauce; for crisper vegetables, reduce the initial stir-fry time. Taste and adjust seasoning if you prefer a sweeter, saltier, or spicier result.
Substitutions and tips: add tofu, tempeh, or edamame for extra protein. Swap vegetables seasonally — broccoli, mushrooms, baby corn, or water chestnuts all work well. If you plan to keep leftovers, increase the oil slightly to help preserve texture, or store sauce separately and toss with noodles when reheating.
Nutrition Information
Yield
2
Serving Size
1
Amount Per Serving
Calories 479
Total Fat 10g
Saturated Fat 1g
Trans Fat 0g
Unsaturated Fat 8g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 2826mg
Carbohydrates 85g
Fiber 12g
Sugar 27g
Protein 18g
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