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Here at El Nacional, we're kicking of a month of healthier recipes from our chef, Oscar Manresa of Barcelona's Casa Leopoldo with a great vegetable stir-fry.

So, what's different about this recipe? Well, using sesame oil and soy sauce instead of your normal oil and salt gives it a Chinese twist whilst a sprinkling of turmeric gives it an exotic finish. But what is turmeric?

Turmeric rhizome, dried and ground to a powder, is used across South Asia and the Middle East as a spice and for its strong yellow colour. It can be found in curries, pickles and a variety of other dishes which it gives a warm, slightly bitter taste. It's also used in traditional medicine around Asia.

It's also a very flexible recipe, using a variety of fresh, seasonal vegetables that you can switch around a bit depending on what you find in your local store and what you like.

Ingredients for 2 (sample):

  • 1/2 cauliflower
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 courgette/zucchini
  • 1/2 broccoli
  • 8 green asparagus
  • 4 mushrooms (Oscar uses bloody milk caps)
  • 4 green beans
  • 1/2 small onion
  • Sesame seeds (toasted, if you have them)
  • Sesame oil
  • Soy sauce
  • Turmeric

Recipe:

  1. ​Chop the vegetables, relatively small and evenly so they'll cook quickly and equally
  2. Heat a wok (or normal frying pan) with a spoonful of sesame oil
  3. Once hot, add the vegetables
  4. As they cook, keep them moving round in the pan to cook evenly
  5. Near the end of the cooking process, splash over soy sauce to taste
  6. Once they're cooked, but still have some of their crunch and colour, plate up
  7. Finish sprinkling over more sesame oil, if you want, along with the sesame seeds and turmeric