Vegetable Kung Pao

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Vegetable KUNG PAO PLATTED
My love affair with Vegetable Kung Pao is a real thing. A craving like no other and the greatest thing about this recipe is the ability to shift and change to suit your mood or appetite. Maybe you want some extra spice, or perhaps there are some Gardein Chick’n nuggets on hand and want the full fast food experience. As you can see, Vegetable Kung Pao is a generous companion, fulfilling your needs, balancing sweet, salty, and Sichuan pepper with their unique spiciness and tons of texture that comes from peanuts and vegetables.
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WHAT YOU NEED…

  • Parsnips are a perfect vegetable for this Kung Pao with a wonderful texture, they are poached in a flavored liquid that seasons the outside while leaving sweetness on the inside. When quickly fried it takes on a crispy outside. This is one of my favorite preparation for parsnip.
  • Sichuan (Szechuan) peppercorns are key to this dish. The Sichuan peppers bring a citrus aroma with tones of pine, and a bitter heat followed by a numbing heat sensation around the mouth, which is what it is known for.
  • Vegan Oyster Sauce is not traditionally found in Kung Pao, however, I found it added a ton of umami and also helps with creating a thick sauce. Plus, I have always wanted to have a good vegan oyster sauce recipe.

How To Make Vegetable Kung Pao

Cutting Parsnips for vegetable kung pao
Peel and slice the parsnips in half.
PARSNIPS WITH CORE REMOVED
Remove the core since the core can be stringy and hard even after cooking.
PARSNIP POACHING LIQUID INGREDIENTS
Gather all of the ingredients for the poaching liquid.
POACHING PARSNIPS for vegetable kung pao
Bring to a boil then add the parsnips and reduce the heat to a simmer for 30 minutes.
POACHED PARSNIPS for vegetable Kung Pao
The parsnips will turn a beautiful golden brown color, reminiscent of poached pears.
POACHED PARSNIPS ON BAKING TRAY_
Place the poached parsnips on a baking sheet.
POACHED AND BAKED PARSNIPS_
Cook for 10-15 minutes in the oven.
VEGETABLES FOR KUNG PAO_
CUT VEGETABLES FOR KUNG PAO_
Vegetable preparation before and after.

How To Make Vegan “Oyster” Sauce

VEGAN OYSTER SAUCE INGREDIENTS_
VEGAN OYSTER SAUCE FOR VEGETABLE KUNG PAO

Finishing Vegetable Kung Pao

TOASTING PEANUTS FOR VEGETABLE KUNG PAO
toasted chili peppers_
Cooking each element of the dish separately gives the opportunity to cook each ingredient to perfection.
roasting parsnips for vegetable kung pao
Pan-frying the parsnips.
ROASTING BELL PEPPERS
And the red bell peppers. We used a wok but a skillet would work just fine.
sauteing scallions for vegetable kung pao
Adding a pinch of salt to the scallions.
SAUTE GARLIC, GINGER FOR VEGETABLE KUNG PAO
Next, we will start to add all of the ingredients back into the pan starting with the ginger and garlic.
vegetable kung pao with scallion, parsnips, bell peppers, _
Vegetable Kung Pao heating until re-warmed and the sauce has reduced just a bit.

Chefs Tips

The key to this dish is taking the time to cook each step to perfection, this will ensure that each ingredient is seasoned, the texture is maintained and the sum of all the parts comes together to create one great dish.

Substitutions

Parsnips are great in this recipe, but if you are not in the mood, you can use diced tofu baked in the oven. Vegan Chicken nuggets are always fun in this recipe. Sichuan Peppercorns: Sichuan is the region where the dish originated, but if you can’t find them or don’t want to buy them, we have two options. The first is to add crushed red chili flakes, add according to your spice level. The second is to black pepper that is freshly cracked.
Vegetable KUNG PAO PLATTED

Vegetable Kung Pao

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: Kung Pao, Parsnip, Vegan
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 585kcal
Author: Those Vegan Chefs
My love affair with Vegetable Kung Pao is a real thing. A craving like no other and the greatest thing about this recipe is the ability to shift and change to suit your mood or appetite. Maybe you want some extra spice, or perhaps there are some Gardein Chick’n nuggets on hand and you want the full fast food experience. As you can see, Vegetable Kung Pao is a generous companion, fulfilling your needs, balancing sweet, salty, and Sichuan pepper with their unique spiciness and tons of texture comes from peanuts and vegetables. 
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Ingredients

Parsnip Crispy ” Chikn”

Vegan Oyster Sauce

Kung Pao Sauce and Garnish

  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • ½ cup peanuts raw
  • 1 cup scallions 1-inch pieces
  • ¼ cup dried chilis chopped
  • ¼ cup garlic peeled, thinly sliced
  • 2 Tbsp ginger grated on a Micro-Plane grater
  • 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
  • ½ cup vegan oyster sauce
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 1 red bell pepper medium dice

Instructions

How to Make Parsnip “Chicken “

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
  • Peel and cut the parsnip in half length-wise. Remove the core from the parsnip.
  • In a large pot over low heat combine the water, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, black vinegar, and poultry seasoning. Bring the poaching liquid to a boil, add the parsnip, and cover with a lid reduce to a low simmer.
  • Cook the parsnip until very tender, cooking for roughly 30 minutes. Remove from the poaching liquid.
  • Place the parsnip on a cooling rack placed on a baking sheet. Bake the parsnips in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
  • Allow the parsnip to cool.
  • Cut the parsnips in half on the bias, creating a long triangle shapes.

How to Make Vegan Oyster Sauce

  • Gently heat the extra virgin olive oil over low heat, and add the kelp granules. Continue to cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add the parsnip cooking liquid, and cook for 2 more minutes.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk the water and cornstarch together, creating a slurry.
  • Whisk the slurry into the soy sauce mixture.
  • Cook over medium heat until thick and the sauce has produced a few bubbles.
  • Set aside.

How to Make Kung Pao

  • This is a multiple-step process, It takes a few more minutes but the final dish retains so much flavor and textures.
  • Heat the oil over medium-high heat, add the peanuts, cooking and stirring until golden amber in color. Remove the peanuts with a strainer or slotted spoon. Try to retain as much of the oil in the pan as possible.
  • Increase the heat to high, add the scallions, cooking for 30-60 seconds. The scallions should be lightly blistered, yet maintain some crunchy texture. So cooking over high heat is key.
  • Remove the scallions from the pan. Trying to leave as much oil in the pan as possible. Set aside.
  • Add additional oil to the pan.
  • Cook the parsnips until a deep brown on the edges and light golden brown in the middle. The key is to monitor the parsnips, flipping ensuring that all sides are crispy and delicious.
  • You might need to little more oil, another 2 Tbsp should be just perfect.
  • Add the chopped ginger, garlic, and bell peppers, stirring until light brown.
  • Add the chopped dried chili peppers, and saute for 10 seconds, just enough to toast the peppers.
  • Add the Sichuan peppers, and continue to stir and agitate the mixture, cooking for 1 minute.
  • Reduce the heat to low, add the vegan oyster sauce, stirring to coat all of the vegetables.
  • If the sauce is too thick you can make adjustments with soy sauce or water.
  • Add the scallions and the peanuts.
  • Place the Kung Pao on a platter and serve with steamed rice.

Notes

Nutritional values are an estimate.

Nutrition

Calories: 585kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 1750mg | Potassium: 888mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 1196IU | Vitamin C: 66mg | Calcium: 132mg | Iron: 4mg

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