Celery Stir Fry

Japanese-style stir-fry, thin batons of celery, stir-fried with chili-infused oil and soy sauce.
We found the best way to julienne the celery is to slice off the root end and any part of the celery beyond the main stalk. Cut the stalks in thirds, or if they are very long, quarters, and then cut each of those pieces in half lengthwise. This gives you a manageable, flat surface to slice into matchsticks. Nancy's original recipe calls for using a high quality rapeseed oil (another name for canola oil) and/or light sesame oil. We added a little dark sesame oil at the finish which was just lovely, so you might want to try that too.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

2 Tbsp high quality rapeseed oil (canola oil) or light sesame oil
3 dried chile peppers, broken in half
4 cups julienned celery
1-2 Tbsp soy sauce (to taste)

Method

Heat the oils and chiles in a wok or frying pan over high heat for 90 seconds, or until the chiles become fragrant and the seeds sizzle. Add the celery and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the soy sauce and stir-fry one more minute. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Yield: Serves 6 as a side dish.

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Comments

Greedy Traeller October 24, 2012 at 7:24 am
This looks great. Very easy and healthy too. I thought I was alone in being a celery fan! One question, what kind of things would you serve it with?
It would be a great side for Asian dishes, of course. Or just a side for chicken or steak. Anything that tastes good with soy sauce and sesame. ~Elise

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Greedy Traeller October 24, 2012 at 7:42 am
Good idea – some chicken and brown rice will join this recipe! Thanks again!

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Julie October 24, 2012 at 9:01 am
Elise, you never cease to amaze me with such yummy recipes! Thank you for sharing this one!

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amy October 24, 2012 at 9:34 am
Yum! This would be really pretty done with the stalks from rainbow chard!

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Kate October 24, 2012 at 9:44 am
Great timing! I noticed I had celery in my fridge this morning left over from a previous recipe, and I was wondering what to do with it. I was already going to cook salmon tonight with an asian marinade, so this will work perfectly for a side.

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Emily October 24, 2012 at 10:05 am
In the “linked” recipe for Stir-Fried Celery with Meat Sauce the celery is peeled. Did you do that on this recipe? If not, did you notice the strings?
Hi Emily, Sometimes when you work with large, tough, outer ribs of celery, it helps to peel the outer side of them to remove the strings. I don’t remember doing that with this celery, probably because we had already used the outer ribs for some other dish. ~Elise

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Jessica Fialkovich October 24, 2012 at 10:18 am
Great, simple recipe. Celery is one of those staples I always keep in my home to ad to the classic side dishes you mentioned. I’m going to have to substitute this for my standby asparagus next steak dinner.

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Jennifer October 24, 2012 at 10:45 am
Not a huge celery fan, but this looks interesting. You might want to pick a different featured image. I thought the chili pepper was a cricket at first.

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- Bellschmell January 2, 2013 at 7:36 pm
  LOL i thought it looked like a bug among the weeds, too. But i’m still a fan of her food & photos :)
  
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rebecca October 24, 2012 at 10:50 am
Could you do this with just oil, salt and pepper? I love celery, but I can’t eat it raw. This would be a great side to meat if it would work.
Sure, you can cook celery this way. It won’t have the extra flavor of the soy sauce and sesame though. If you try it plain like you suggested, please let us know how you like it. ~Elise

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sandy October 24, 2012 at 12:13 pm
When I was small, my Mom would sometimes fix creamed celery for supper–just chopped celery, cooked in water (salted, no doubt) with a white sauce stirred in. It was very good.

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alfredo October 24, 2012 at 12:33 pm
I usually reserve my celery for my bloody Marys…This looks like another option! Thanks.

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Judy October 24, 2012 at 1:32 pm
I’m guessing that it’s not the dark sesame oil that you are using in this, right? Thanks for the recipe – it looks delish!
Nancy uses either high quality rapeseed oil (canola oil) or a light sesame oil. I think that we used rapeseed oil and then added a little dark sesame oil at the finish, just to get a little more sesame flavor. ~Elise

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Mother of Pearl October 24, 2012 at 1:47 pm
Just an interesting factoid about celery – This is the beginning of Amish wedding season in central PA and celery is a major part of the celebration. Several dishes with celery will be served with dinner and the house and tables are decorated with vases of leafy celery. So, not everyone takes celery for granted!

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Anna October 24, 2012 at 2:25 pm
I am intrigued by Nancy’s book and planning to buy it. And even better – I have all of these ingredients in my house! Thank you, Elise!

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geg October 24, 2012 at 3:59 pm
Did you really mean 2 tbsp of soy sauce? Seemed salty when I made it tonight
Hmm. Soy sauce can really be variable in its saltiness. I’ll adjust the recipe to say 1 – 2 Tbsp (to taste). Thank you for the feedback! ~Elise

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Beth Sullivan October 24, 2012 at 7:20 pm
I got my copy of the cookbook after you mentioned it here and it is beautiful! I love all your recipes and it especially nice of you to share this one as well! Delicious! Thank you!

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Lee October 25, 2012 at 4:20 am
My mother used to make a braised celery dish. As I remember it, she would combine chicken stock, minced garlic, celery, and parmesan. Bake and you’ve got a great side dish.

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Natika33 October 25, 2012 at 4:27 am
@ geg – Japanese soy sauce is substantially lighter than Chinese soy sauce (which is more common), so that could potentially be the reason yours turned out too salty. Kikkoman is a Japanese brand sold widely outside Japan, or look for soy sauce meant specifically for sushi. Or just dilute/use less if you are using a Chinese soy sauce. (^_^)

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fabiola@notjustbaked October 25, 2012 at 8:49 am
Oh my gosh, you are soooo right on here. So so true. I love celery, but it is never a star of my veggie sides, just a team player. And there isn’t anything wrong with that, but I have never made it a star. I will have to do this. Thanks, Elise, such a great idea!

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MaryM October 25, 2012 at 10:47 am
I’m definitely trying this, since my husband loves celery beyond all reason. When I first saw the picture, though, I thought it had a big ol’ Texas roach right in the middle of it!

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Denise October 25, 2012 at 2:54 pm
What a great idea Elise. Celery is like parsley, the overlooked deliciousness lurking in the kitchen. I love gnawing on celery sticks but have never thought of cooking it as you did. Now that I see this recipe, I remember my grandmother making a spicy celery side-dish with soy and garlic. Must make ….

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Javelin Warrior October 25, 2012 at 9:01 pm
I’ve been looking at celery wrong for so many years – I’d never thought to turn it into a star vegetable like this! This sounds so good and so unique. I’m featuring this post as part of Food Fetish Friday (with a link-back and attribution) and thanks for making me drool!

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Vicki October 26, 2012 at 6:31 pm
My favorite cooked celery side is to simply saute in olive oil and sprinkle with old bay seasoning.

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Sharmila October 27, 2012 at 12:44 pm
I have a celery plant in the garden that is getting about ready to pack it in for winter. Great post timing for me! Thanks Elise.

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Caroline October 28, 2012 at 1:37 pm
What a great recipe! I made this tonight and it was fantastic. Who knew that celery could be exciting after all? Thanks for posting! I will definitely make this often.

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Rachel October 28, 2012 at 8:03 pm
This was so good…I made this tonight with italian chicken and it paired well. This was easy to make and I did not have the asian chili’s required and just had canola oil…I used red pepper flakes. Turned out FAB! Definitely a keeper! Thanks Elise!

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gigi October 29, 2012 at 8:28 am
great recipe! not a huge fan of celery and yet this looks delicious! thanks. xx. gigi.

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jb October 29, 2012 at 12:41 pm
Been doing this for awhile; love me some sautéed celery. I cut em a lil fancier, though. I cut them horseshoe-style, but on an angle, so it’s like an elongated horseshoe. We likey :)

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Shannon of Arkansas October 30, 2012 at 9:00 pm
Are the toasted grasshoppers optional?
I do think it’s weird that some people look at what to me is obviously a photo of a red chili and see it not as a chili, but as an insect. The chilies are not optional. That said, they do grow and sell chili roasted grasshoppers in Oaxaca, Mexico which are quite delicious, in a crunchy, spicy way. Feel free to add those if you have them. Me, I’ll pass. :-p ~Elise

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little kitchie November 8, 2012 at 11:20 am
my mom is japanese, and she would make this all the time growing up! i haven’t thought of this dish in years. thank you for sharing!!!

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Victoria Hollywood November 13, 2012 at 1:16 pm
i absolutely love ur blog! and I LOVE celery. I once ate celery soup everyday for a week straight! I have a stalk of celery in the fridge now I’m totally making this recipe for dinner tonight.

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Cassandra November 13, 2012 at 11:33 pm
Hi Elise,
looks like a great recipe! Would it work if I used fresh chili peppers instead of dried ones?

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- Elise November 13, 2012 at 11:38 pm
  Perhaps a fresh red chili would work. Try it!
  
  Reply

Liquid Gold: Your Guide to Honey

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Celery Stir Fry

Ingredients

Method

Comments

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