Gochujang Stir Fry

This Gochujang Stir Fry is a vegan recipe was the product of one of my weekly “clean out the fridge” meals that I’ve been sharing on Instagram. My staple produce in my fridge that week was carrots, celery, and mushrooms and so I knew I wanted to either go Italian or Asian inspiration. We had eaten pizza the night before so we were both craving Asian flavors more so I went with that. I had been playing around with a mushroom/lentil “meat” substitute and I figured it would be a good time to try it out!

To make the “meat”, place mushrooms, lentils, olive oil, salt, and pepper into a food processor and pulse until you reach a ground meat-like consistency. Make sure you don’t over-process it. Spread it on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes until crispy and cooked through. While the mushrooms/lentil mixture is baking you have time to begin making rice, sautéing the vegetables, and mixing the sauce. The sauce base is made with Gochujang paste which is a savory, sweet, and spicy condiment made from fermented soybeans, red chili pepper flakes, sticky rice, and salt. It’s very popular in Korean cooking and it is what makes this dish so irresistible. Once the veggies are cooked, you’ll combine them with the sauce and the mushroom/lentil mixture then serve over rice! This Gochujang Stir Fry is sweet, spicy, complex and will keep you coming back for more!

Gochujang Stir Fry

Recipe by kindrootsfoodCourse: MainCuisine: Asian

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

35

minutes

Ingredients

• Mushroom/Lentil “Meat”:

• 8 oz Crimini mushrooms

• 1 cup cooked brown lentils

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• Salt, pepper, any added seasoning (I used some Umami seasoning)

• Veggies and Rice:

• 2 carrots, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

• 2 celery stalks, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

• 1 onion, minced

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• Gochujang Sauce:

• 1/4 cup Gochujang paste (can reduce if sensitive to spice)

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons agave nectar

• 1 tablespoon mirin

• 1/4 cup water

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• Rice:

• 1 cup of uncooked white rice

Directions

• Mushroom/Lentil “Meat”:
• Preheat oven to 400. Pulse all ingredients in food processor until you reached a ground meat-like texture. Spread on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, tossing halfway through. Remove from oven and set aside.
• Veggies:
• Heat olive oil in large pan over medium heat and sauté all veggies for 8-10 minutes until soft.
• Sauce:
• Combine all sauce ingredients in small bowl and whisk until mixed well.
• Serving:
• Cook white rice according to package instructions.
• Once veggies are sautéed, add sauce and allow to simmer for 1-2 minutes. Add in mushroom/lentil mixture and stir well. Serve over steamed rice!

Notes

• Depending on your brand of gochujang sauce and your tolerance of spice, you may want to reduce to 2 tablespoons if you are sensitive to spice.
• Feel free to sub out the carrots and celery for whatever veggies you have on deck!