Mixed Vegetable Stir-fry

Name: Mixed Vegetable Stir-fry
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: Vegetable oil; Garlic; Carrot; Broccoli; Chestnut mushrooms; White cabbage; Oyster sauce; Light soy sauce; Chicken stock

Mixed Vegetable Stir-fry, plated as one serving.

92 kcal a serving, against 147 for the traditional version. That is 55 kcal off, or 37%, with 5.7g of protein. Serves 4. 25 minutes.

What the traditional version is

The classic: carrot, broccoli, mushrooms, and a bit of cabbage thrown in a hot wok with about three tablespoons of oil. Garlic goes first, then vegetables in stages, all cooked fast so they keep their colour and snap. A generous shake of oyster sauce and soy at the end, sometimes a pinch of sugar for gloss. Everything comes out shiny, tender-crisp, and full of wok-fired flavour.

What changed, and what each change costs

Oil from 40g down to 7g (about a teaspoon and a half)

That oil is the secret to blistered edges and a lovely sheen, but sadly it's also why you could bounce a five-a-side ball off your stir-fry. Trading most of it for stock means your veg gets steamed rather than fried.

What it costs you. There's no denying it: you lose that smoky, glossy finish and a bit of bite. The vegetables land softer, and no one will shout 'wok hei' from the rooftops. But it's not a funeral - garlic and stock keep it lively enough.

Oyster sauce down from 60g to 30g, soy up from 20g to 30g

Oyster sauce is rich but heavy on salt and sugar, and goes sticky when you use loads. Halve it, nudge up the soy, and you'll still get plenty of savoury oomph, just a bit lighter and less clinging.

What it costs you. It is not the sticky pile you get at a street stall. It is drier and less punchy, but you'll not feel like you're drinking a mug of gravy.

Vegetables up: 100g more broccoli, 80g more mushrooms, double the cabbage

When you lose the oil, you lose bulk and, let's be blunt, satisfaction. Doubling up on the low-calorie veg keeps the plate looking generous and leaves you feeling less like you need a round of toast after.

What it costs you. You get a much bigger bowl for the same price, and the only thing missing is regret. The wok will be overflowing - just cook in batches if it's all too much.

Water replaced with chicken stock

If you're not drenching it in oil, you need some flavour. Chicken stock brings a bit of depth, especially if it's not just salty water out of a cube.

What it costs you. You get extra savouriness, though not the same richness. If you're veggie, vegetable stock will do fine, but don't expect wonder.

What goes in it

The ingredients, without the quantities. The weights are what the figures below are computed from, and they are in the book.

Vegetable oil
Garlic
Carrot
Broccoli
Chestnut mushrooms
White cabbage
Oyster sauce
Light soy sauce
Chicken stock

How it starts

If you've got a wok big enough for a family tent, good for you.
Get the oil hot, then drop in your sliced garlic.
Toss in the carrots and broccoli.

The rest of the method, and every weight, is in Authentic-ish Thai.

The numbers

Per serving	Traditional	Lightened
Calories	147	92
Protein	3.4g	5.7g
Fat	10.4g	2.5g
Saturated fat	1.4g	0.4g
Carbohydrate	11.7g	14.7g
Protein per 100 kcal	2.3g	6.1g

Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Thai prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked. How every number is computed sets out the method.

Allergens. soybeans, gluten, molluscs.

The method is in the book

Cut the oil and you lose the wok's best party trick - the smoky, shiny finish. But what you get is a plate that's about double the veg, still full of flavour, and you can go back for seconds with a straight face. It's softer and less showy, but absolutely dinner, especially if you're not expecting takeaway fireworks.

The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Thai, along with 48 more. Buy the paperback