Celery Stir Fry Recipe

Ingredients

Stir-Fry Sauce

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce, tamari, or gluten-free liquid aminos
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, shaoxing wine, or unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 0.25 teaspoon molasses
• 1 teaspoon coconut sugar, brown sugar, or maple syrup
• 1 clove garlic, pressed, grated, or minced
• 0.25 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 0.25 teaspoon white pepper or black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Stir-Fry

• 8 ounces tempeh, crumbled (or ground chicken, turkey, or beef)
• 0.5 cup water
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil or coconut oil
• 0.5 yellow onion, sliced in strips
• 3 cups celery (4-5 stalks), cut into ½-inch julienne slices
• 2 teaspoons ginger, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced

Garnish

• toasted cashews
• toasted sesame seeds
• scallions

Instructions

Make the Sauce

1. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sherry vinegar, sesame oil, molasses, sugar, garlic, red pepper flakes, white pepper, and cornstarch. Set aside.

Prepare the Tempeh

1. Cut or crumble tempeh into a large pan. Add water and bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat until all the water is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Steaming helps mellow the pungency of tempeh.
2. Once the water has evaporated, add oil and sauté until brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Set tempeh aside.

Cook the Stir-Fry

1. Over medium-high heat, sauté the onions for about 3 minutes.
2. Add the celery, ginger, and garlic and stir for about 2 minutes. You want the celery to be just slightly tender but still quite crisp.
3. Add the tempeh crumble and the sauce. Stir together until sauce is thickened, 1-2 minutes.
4. Serve over jasmine rice and garnish with toasted cashews, sesame seeds, and scallions.

Notes

• If using ground meat instead of tempeh, skip the steaming step. Simply brown the meat in oil until cooked through.
• For extra crunch, add the celery leaves as a garnish.
• This stir-fry is naturally vegan and gluten-free when using tamari or liquid aminos.