Vegetable Moo Shu is healthy and vegan, but it’s also just plain delicious. We’re pretty confident that anyone will enjoy this dish. Not just vegans and vegetarians.
It’s one of those dishes that makes us happy to eat less meat and more vegetables at a meal.
Note: This recipe was originally published in September 2017. It has since been updated with clearer photos and metric measurements! The recipe remains the same as before—enjoy!
The Complete Moo Shu Experience
This moo shu recipe comes complete with mandarin pancakes. The combination of the chewy texture of the pancakes, the crunchy fresh vegetables, and meaty tofu has become a family favorite.
A great mandarin pancake is key to a good moo shu experience. We perfected it with our Moo Shu Chicken recipe and our Easy Peking Duck. For the best results, remember to reheat the pancakes in a steamer right before serving!
Get the Mandarin Pancakes recipe!
See the full process of making mandarin pancakes (with step-by-step photos) in our Easy Peking Duck recipe.
We intentionally made this vegetable moo shu recipe quick and easy, with more accessible ingredients.
That said, feel free to use dried shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, and dried lily flowers, which are more traditional ingredients.
We used some of these Chinese ingredients in our Moo Shu Chicken. You’ll also find wood ears in Judy’s more authentic mainland China version of Chinese Moo Shu Pork.
Why Cook the Ingredients Separately
This vegan moo shu comes together quickly once you have separately stir-fried the celery, peppers, five-spiced tofu, mushrooms, and carrots.
This gives an extra richness to the dish, and keeps the dish from getting too wet from cooking all of the different vegetables at once.
This method also helps maintain high heat for cooking with a wok on most average home stovetops.
Ok, on to the recipe!
Vegetable Moo Shu Recipe Instructions
Stir together the light soy sauce, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, fresh ground white pepper, and salt, and set aside.
Heat your wok over high heat with ½ tablespoon oil, and stir-fry the julienned carrots for 90 seconds. Remove and set aside.
Using the same method, with ½ tablespoon oil each, cook the five-spice tofu, celery, red bell pepper, and fresh Shiitake mushrooms separately, and set those aside.
Be careful not to overcook the vegetables. 90 seconds is really all you need, or you’ll have a mushy moo shu filling!
Next, heat the wok over high heat with the remaining tablespoon of oil, and add the minced garlic and leeks.
Stir fry until the leeks are just wilted (about 2 minutes). Then add the carrots, spiced tofu, celery, bell pepper, and mushrooms back to the wok.
Spread the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok, and add the sauce mixture you prepared earlier. Stir fry everything together for another minute.
Serve immediately with steamed Mandarin pancakes and hoisin sauce on the side!
Vegetable Moo Shu
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce (plus extra for serving)
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil (divided)
- 1 1/2 cups carrot (julienned, about 1 to 2 small/medium carrots)
- 4 ounces spiced tofu (julienned)
- 1½ cups celery (julienned)
- 1 red bell pepper (thinly sliced)
- 6 fresh Shiitake mushrooms (thinly sliced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 leek (julienned, about 3 cups)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- Mandarin pancakes (recipe can be found here)
Instructions
- Stir together the light soy sauce, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, white pepper, and salt, and set aside.
- Heat your wok over high heat with ½ tablespoon oil. Stir-fry the julienned carrots for 90 seconds, remove, and set aside. Using the same method, with ½ tablespoon oil each–cook the spiced tofu, celery, red bell pepper, and shiitake mushrooms separately, and set those aside.
- Next, heat the wok over high heat with the remaining tablespoon of oil, and add the minced garlic and leeks.
- Stir fry the vegetables until the leeks are just wilted (about 2 minutes), and add the carrots, five-spiced tofu, celery, bell pepper, and mushrooms back to the wok.
- Spread the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok, and add the sauce mixture we prepared earlier. Stir-fry everything together for another minute.
- Serve immediately with steamed Mandarin pancakes and hoisin sauce on the side!
