I made this sweet, mild sausage and vegetable stir-fry for my daughter.
Since there are no spicy ingredients or seasonings in it, it’s a side dish that kids tend to enjoy too.
It’s full of vegetables, so it feels a little lighter and more balanced.
Many Korean versions of this dish include a bit of gochujang, or Korean red pepper paste.
For this version, I used soy sauce instead, which keeps the flavor savory and sweet without any heat.
Let me show you an easy way to make it.
These photos were taken in my home kitchen in Korea while I was making the side dish.
Here’s what you’ll need.
Ingredients
◾ 270 g mini Vienna sausages or cocktail sausages
◾ 2 bell peppers
◾ 1/2 onion
◾ 1/3 of a carrot
◾ 3 tablespoons olive oil
◾ 4 tablespoons oyster sauce
◾ 1 tablespoon soy sauce
◾ 2 tablespoons corn syrup or sugar
All seasoning amounts are based on a regular Korean tablespoon, not a measuring spoon.
Tools
◾ Cutting board
◾ Knife
◾ Bowl
◾ Frying pan
◾ Spatula
Once your ingredients are ready, wash and cut the vegetables.
Slice the carrot as thinly as you can, since it takes the longest to cook.
I cut mine into thin slices, about 2–3 mm thick. You can simply slice it, but I made small cuts first to give the pieces a flower-like shape.
Carrots are firm, so be careful while cutting them.
Next, cut the onion.
You can keep the pieces fairly large and bite-sized, about 3–5 cm wide.
I used one yellow and one red bell pepper.
Cut them into pieces about the same size as the onion.
You can use green bell peppers instead if that is what you have.
I used Vienna sausages, but any small sausage will work.
Mini Vienna sausages are commonly used for this Korean-style stir-fry.
If you cook them whole, they can split unevenly on the sides, so make two or three shallow cuts in each one, like in the photo above.
I made two different cuts because I also wanted some of them to open up like little octopuses.
To make the octopus shape, cut two or three slits into one end of each sausage. As they cook, the ends will curl and open up.
All the prep is done now.
From here, you just need to stir-fry everything.
This is an easy side dish: prep the ingredients, mix the sauce, then cook it all in one pan.
Now let’s make the sauce. I’ll share two versions.
First is the mild, non-spicy sauce:
◾ 4 tablespoons oyster sauce
◾ 1 tablespoon soy sauce
◾ 2 tablespoons corn syrup or sugar
As you can see in the photo, I measured everything with a regular Korean tablespoon.
If you would rather make a spicy version, use this sauce instead:
◾ 2 tablespoons ketchup
◾ 1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
◾ 1 tablespoon sugar
◾ 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Once the vegetables and sauce are ready, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a frying pan.
Cook everything over medium heat.
Add the onion, sausages, and carrot.
Try to finish the whole stir-fry in under 10 minutes. Cooking it for too long will make the vegetables too soft.
Because the cooking time is short, it is important to slice the carrot very thinly so it cooks through in time.
After stir-frying for 1–2 minutes, add the bell peppers.
I add them near the end because they taste best when they still have a little crispness.
Stir-fry for about 2 more minutes after adding the bell peppers, then pour in the sauce.
Don’t add the sauce at the beginning, since it can burn before the vegetables have had a chance to cook.
Keep stir-frying, then taste a piece of carrot. When the carrot is tender, turn off the heat.
The sausage slits should have opened up, and the vegetables should be tender but still slightly crisp.
And that’s it—your stir-fry is ready.
It tastes especially good with a bowl of warm rice.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 2–3 days.
In Korean homes, we often make enough side dishes for several meals, keep them in containers in the fridge, and bring them out at mealtime.
It’s part of everyday Korean home cooking.
Thanks for reading!