Thinking about rhubarb's sour profile led me to..."nuclear-red" sweet and sour Chinese take-out! That sounded terrible, so could I remake a veggie version with a more natural sauce? Yes! Instead of sugary ketchup as a base, this one uses plum sauce, adds the bright flavors of garlic and ginger, and sweetens it naturally using the juice from the pineapple can. Add cubed tofu to boost the protein. Brilliant...and ready in less than 30 minutes!
Sweet and Sour Veggies with Rhubarb
May 13, 2014
30 min or less active, 30 min or less total, gluten-free, main, spring, vegan
I was trying to brainstorm a way to use, now in season, rhubarb in a savory dish. Why should you care about eating rhubarb? It's super low in calories and a particularly good source of Vitamins C and K (K is good for blood clotting and bone health) as well as Calcium (no kidding!)Thinking about rhubarb's sour profile led me to..."nuclear-red" sweet and sour Chinese take-out! That sounded terrible, so could I remake a veggie version with a more natural sauce? Yes! Instead of sugary ketchup as a base, this one uses plum sauce, adds the bright flavors of garlic and ginger, and sweetens it naturally using the juice from the pineapple can. Add cubed tofu to boost the protein. Brilliant...and ready in less than 30 minutes!
Information
Servings: 4
Time: Less than 30 minutes active and total
Price: About $8.70 total; $2.20 per serving
Nutrition (per serving):
Calories: 200.6
Protein: 3.2g
Fat: 5.7g
Saturated fat: 0.78g
Carbohydrates: 36g
Fiber: 4.7g
Sodium: 429.2mg
Cholesterol: 0mg
High In:
Good Source:
Low In:
Ingredients
- 4 tsp toasted sesame oil, divided
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 rhubarb (about 1/3-1/2 lb), 1/2" diagonal cut
- 1 green pepper, cut into 1/2" chunks
- 1 onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 carrots, cut into 1/2" chunks
- 8 oz canned pineapple chunks with juice
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 4 Tbsp plum sauce
- 2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tsp rice flour or 1 tsp cornstarch, mixed in 1 Tbsp water
- 3 scallions, sliced
- 1 tsp white or black sesame seeds
Preparation
- In a small pan, heat 3 tsp sesame oil and the brown sugar over medium-high heat. Add rhubarb and cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned being careful not to overcook them or they will fall apart. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Then add green pepper, onion, carrot, and pineapple chunks to the pan. Stir 3-5 minutes until lightly browned and add to rhubarb.
- Turn the heat to med-low and ddd remaining tsp sesame oil to the pan. Add garlic and ginger and sauté 1 min. Add plum sauce, soy sauce and pineapple juice and mix well. Add rice flour liquid and stir until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add veggies back to the pan along with two chopped scallions. Serve plain or over brown rice and garnish with remaining scallion and sesame seeds.
