Get ready to enjoy a quick and easy Orange Ginger Sweet Potato Stir Fry with Sausage that you can whip up in under 30 minutes! This healthy, budget-friendly Asian Fusion dish is savory, naturally sweet, and just a little spicy. Like our pantry fried rice, this stir-fried sweet potato skillet is perfect for using up those bits of vegetables in your crisper. It’s a deliciously frugal meal any day of the week!
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Nourish and Warm it Up!
During the change of seasons, especially during the transition from late summer to fall, we need to take extra good care of our gut health and nutrition. This is the time of the year that you need to nourish your body and eat spleen qi friendly meals. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, our spleens are responsible for making qi (your circulating life force), extracting it from food, and delivering it to your body. If your gut health is poor, your whole body doesn’t function properly.
Eating warm and nourishing foods like stir fried harvest autumn vegetables in a light ginger orange sauce, is just what your body craves. It’s easy to digest, filled with warming spices and a great way to boost your immunity.
Healthy Ingredients
Sweet potato – Did you know there are over 16 types of sweet potatoes? We used a Beauregard type of sweet potato. It has deep orange flesh with red-orange skin. Every type has a slightly different flavor, sweetness profile and color ranging from white to purple. Use the sweet potato type that is easily accessible at the markets near you.
Oranges – You will be using the orange peel to infuse the orange flavor into the cooking oil. In addition, the juice of one orange is used to naturally sweeten this savory sweet potato recipe and our Mandarin Chicken. Sweet potato and orange flavor are a match made in heaven.
Italian Sausage – We used hot Italian sausage from 2 links and saved the rest for our tortellini soup. You need just a little bit to give a pop of flavor. You can also use mild Italian sausage, Chinese cured sausages, chorizo, turkey sausage or plant-based sausage. If you are celiac, be sure to choose a gluten free sausage - there are many options.
Aromatics – Ginger, garlic, dried red chili flakes, 5 spice powder and onions. Some of the best substitutes for Chinese 5 spice powder are allspice, garam masala or even a little ground cinnamon.
Veggies of Choice
You will need about 2 cups of fresh veggies to feed 2 hungry adults. Forage the refrigerator to see what you have. We used the stalks of broccoli and radishes because after all we are using up the bits and bobs of veggies in the refrigerator. With the cost of groceries these days - never let anything go to waste.
If you have not tried these veggies in a stir fry, you have no idea what you are missing out on.
- Broccoli stalks are a little hidden gem. Once they are peeled and chopped, they are perfect for stir fry or delicious in a chicken curry soup.
- The radishes turn lightly sweet when stir fried and have a little peppery twist at the end.
How to Make a Sweet Potato Stir Fry?
Chop all your vegetables into small cubes.
Peel the zest off the orange and juice it. Do not include the white pith as this part is bitter.
- Panfry the orange zest in oil until aromatic and lightly golden around the edges and remove.
- Cook the aromatics, ground Italian sausage and spices until golden brown. Remove from pan or wok.
Add the diced sweet potatoes and other firm veggies (radishes and broccoli stems) along with a little water or chicken broth. Place the lid on pan or wok and steam on high for about 3 minutes or until they start to become slightly fork tender.
- If you want to add any quick cooking vegetables or onions, add them to the wok along with a little extra oil to prevent sticking and stir fry a minute.
- Add the cooked sausage and the juice of one orange. Stir fry a minute just until the liquid is absorbed.
Enjoy over rice, quinoa, black rice or your favorite noodles.
How Do You Dress Up a Stir Fry?
Adding a garnish is the simplest way to make a sweet potato stir fry extra tasty! Try adding some texture like…
- Roasted pepitas
- Peanuts
- toasted sesame seeds
- crushed almonds
- cashews
- and more.
Adding toasted nuts and seeds is a quick and delicious way to add protein and crunch. Other topping suggestions are crispy fried shallots, green onions, or even stir-fried orange zest peel. Not only do these add texture but also add a load of flavor.
Stir Frying Basics
Hands down, stir frying is one of the easiest and most delicious ways to eat healthy. However, there are a couple important rules to follow for the best outcome.
- You do not need to own a wok to make a simple stir fry. All you need is a large frying pan with a lid that can handle high heat.
- Use an oil with a low smoking point like canola or peanut oil to be traditional. However, we are anything but traditional. We rely heavily on light flavored olive oil to cook most things in our kitchen – it’s the healthier choice.
- Slice, dice and prepare all vegetables, proteins, and aromatics BEFORE you turn on the burner to the stove.
- Assemble and prepare any sauces BEFORE you turn on the burner on the stovetop.
- Cook the proteins and aromatics first.
- Next, stir-fry the hard vegetables, such as sweet potatoes or carrots. After adding the firm vegetables to the hot pan, add a splash of water or broth and cover the pan with a lid to lightly steam the veggies until they are nearly al dente. Finally, uncover and give them a quick stir-fry to achieve that perfect crunchy texture. Unlike Western cooking, Asian stir fries like this one and our bay scallop stir fry with spring veggies aim to retain a bit of texture in the vegetables. They should be fork tender but not mushy!
- Follow up with any quick cooking vegetables like bok choy, snow peas, etc.
- Lastly, you will add any sauces and do a quick toss to coat all the proteins and veggies in the pan.
Sweet Potato Recipes from around the Globe
The humble sweet potato can be used in so many ways. If you have been a follower of Healthy World Cuisine, you know that we are big fans of Fusion recipes.
India – Try our less than 30-minute ground turkey sweet potato curry. It's filled with warming spices and is even better the next day. Not to be out done, is our unique recipe for chicken tandoori sweet potato skins is a fun flavor fusion of spicy, sweet and crispy – all in one.
Japan – Japanese sweet potato fries is our lightened-up version of the Japanese dessert - daigaku imo. Traditionally this treat is made with deep-fried sweet potato and a hard sugar coating. Our version is baked, low sugar with a delicious sweet and savory dipping sauce.
Thailand – If you need a warm and nourishing meal, our creamy sweet potato soup is one bowl you don’t want to miss. One of our family’s favorite sheet pan dinners is our spicy salmon and sweet potato hash – The best Thai- American fusion recipe.
Philippines – Did you know that sweet potatoes can be transformed into delicious glass vermicelli noodles? Camote Bihon is the most addictive way to eat your veggies with these fun slurping noodles.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
The natural sweetness of sweet potatoes pairs well with a spicy sausage - if you can handle the heat. Some sausage examples that work best in this orange ginger sweet potato stir fry are hot Italian pork sausage, chorizo, andouille or soppressata. If you prefer a milder sausage, you can try a mild Italian sausage, cured Chinese sausages, chicken or turkey sausage or even a plant-based sausage.
If you like a milder stir fry, opt for a mild pork sausage. You can titrate the spice and heat level by adding as much or as little of dried red chili peppers as you desire. If you love the heat, add a drizzle of garlic chili oil upon serving or add more white pepper to taste.
More Easy Stir Fry Recipes
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Orange Ginger Sweet Potato Stir Fry with Sausage
Equipment
- wok or frying pan with lid
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon oil (we used a light olive oil) 1 tablespoon to fry the sausage and 1 tablespoon to stir fry the veggies.
- 7 ounces Italian sausage 2 links removed from the casing. We used a hot Italian sausage. (198 grams). Use a gluten-free brand if celiac.
- 1 knob ginger
fresh grated (or about 1 and ¼ teaspoons grated) or about ¼ teaspoon dried ground ginger - 2 cloves garlic
peeled and minced - 1 teaspoon 5 spice powder
- ½ teaspoon red pepper chili flakes dried - optional or to your desired heat level
- 2 cups sweet potato peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes ( or one extra large sweet potato)
- 1 cup radishes
trimmed edges and cut in half or quarters OR 1 cup of chopped veggies of choice - 1 cup broccoli stems peeled and chopped OR 1 cup of chopped veggies of choice
- ½ cup water or chicken broth
- ⅓ cup onion peeled and sliced - optional
- salt and pepper
to taste - ¼ cup orange zest peel use a vegetable peeler or knife to get large slices of only the orange zest peel - do not include white pith of orange.
- 4-5 tablespoons orange juice fresh - juice from one orange
- ¼ cup roasted pepitas optional
Instructions
- Prepare all your vegetables and aromatics: Peel and chop broccoli stems. Remove the ends from radishes and slice into quarters. Peel and chop sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Remove the peel and mince garlic. Slice optional onions. (You will need 2 cups sweet potatoes and 2 cups of vegetables of choice. We used radishes and broccoli stems.) Set aside.
- Use a vegetable peeler or sharp knife to remove only the orange zest peel from the orange into long strips. Then, slice the orange in half to squeeze and reserve the orange juice. Set aside.
- Heat your wok or frying pan to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil. Panfry the orange zest in oil for approximately 1 minute or until aromatic and lightly golden around the edges. Carefully remove the orange zest from the pan and save as a delicious garnish.
- Next, add the sausage removed from the casing into the hot wok or pan. Break up the pork sausage with your spatula and stir fry for 2 minutes. Then add ginger, garlic, 5 spice powder and dried red chili pepper flakes as desired. Stir fry sausage until golden brown. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside in a bowl. (You will be adding the sausage back into the stir fry later)
- Add the diced sweet potatoes and other firm veggies (radishes and broccoli stems) along with ½ cup water or chicken broth and salt and pepper to taste into the hot pan. Place the lid on pan or wok and steam on high for about 3 minutes or until they start to become slightly fork tender - but not all the way. Don't over cook! Remove the lid!
- If you want to add any quick cooking vegetables or onions, add them to the wok along with a little extra oil to prevent sticking and stir fry a minute. Cook uncovered.
- Add the cooked sausage back into the wok with the vegetables and the juice of one orange. Stir fry uncovered a minute just until the liquid is absorbed.
- Garnish with roasted pepitas and cooked orange peel as desired. Delicious over rice or your favorite noodles.
Video
Notes
- The total amount of vegetables used in the orange ginger sweet potato stir fry recipe is 4 and ⅓ cups. (2 cups of sweet potatoes and 2 and ⅓ cups of whatever fresh veggies are in your crisper. - we used broccoli stems, radishes and onions - but use what you have on hand)
- Feel free to use all sweet potatoes for this recipe and any vegetables you desire. The goal is to use up all the bits and bobs of vegetables in your crisper.
- However, always remember that you need to cook your hard vegetables first and then your softer vegetables last.
- How to cook firm vegetables? After adding the hard vegetables to the hot pan, add a splash of water or broth and cover the pan with a lid to lightly steam the veggies until they are nearly al dente. Finally, uncover and give them a quick stir-fry to achieve that perfect al dente texture. Unlike Western cooking, Asian stir fries aim to retain a bit of texture in the vegetables. They should not be mushy!
- Do not over crowd your wok or frying pan.
mjskit says
What a nice mix of vegetable for a stirfry. One doesn't see radish used much nor star anise. What an underrated spice. It's got such a lovely flavor and love seeing how you've used it here. Great dish Bobbi!
gourmetgetaway says
What a delicious and healthy looking salad!
Thanks for sharing
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
Helen @ Scrummy Lane says
That's such an interesting point about the pairing of soft and crunchy foods, Bam! It totally makes sense that all one texture = boring. What I really love here (apart from all those amazing veggies just for being what they are) is to orange and those toasty pine nuts. Pine nuts add a LOT of interest value to a dish. I'd definitely order this in a restaurant!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you Helen for your sweet comment! Do you ever noticed with salads how it is fun to have crispy things and creamy things and nuts just for the change of texture? We are complicated creatures... LOL I feel the same way about stir fries.
Kristy says
Mmm! I never thought about star anise with sweet potatoes. I bet that's fantastic! Great stir fry round-up too. They are great clean out the fridge, weeknight meals!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Star Anise is a really diverse spice that can be used with both sweet and savory dishes. I love the tongue numbing spice of the star anise.
Thao @ In Good Flavor says
This is indeed a pretty, colorful veggie side dish with great texture. And it's super healthy too!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Colorful stir fries are always the best as we always eat with eyes first. Thank you.
nancyc says
This is such a pretty dish and sounds so good! 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you Nancy
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
This is gorgeous and something that would tickle my tastebuds with every bite. I love how it looks!
Healthy World Cuisine says
I am so glad you like this simple dish Maureen. Congratulations on winning the Crazy Sales giveaway. Let me know if you do not either hear from them or receive delivery within the next 2 weeks. Take care
The Foodie Affair says
I've been hoarding my pine nuts since they're so expensive right now! This is a recipe worth using them for. So fresh and delicious! Pinning 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine says
Tell me about it! What is up with the price of pine nuts? You can also exchange with pecans, almonds or even cashews is you wish. I just happened to have just about a handful of pine nuts left to use up. Thanks so much Sandra.
Anu-My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says
Love stir-frys. And the sound of this dish so intriguing! Orange + sweet potato must be an awesome combo. Star anise sounds great. 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you Anu! Orange and sweet potato is so delicious together. I never follow a recipe but just look around my crisper and pantry for inspiration and there is always something new to be tried.
Monica says
I've never stir-fried radishes or sweet potatoes. It looks great! I love the balance in textures and flavors and the warming/cooling aspects. What a great 'clean the fridge' dish! I need to think outside the box more.
Healthy World Cuisine says
It is so funny how we have changed hats. You are baking up a storm and I am giving my wok a work out.. LOL
hotlyspiced says
Love the star anise. I do like meals with good texture. What a pretty stir-fry - so many colours. I'm quite sure I've never had a sweet potato stir-fry xx
Healthy World Cuisine says
thanks charlie! Do you remember our moms telling us to eat the rainbow as it is good for you, I guess I was aiming for that goal. Give it a try and it is so quick and easy.
thecompletebook says
Such a colourful and healthy stir fry. Don't think I have ever thought to stir fry sweet potato - such a great idea!
Have a beautiful weekend Bam.
🙂 Mandy ox
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you Mandy! You can stir fry anything your little heart desires but with firmer vegetables you just need to steam with a little bit of liquid in the wok with a lid for just a few minutes until just fork tender...
Dawn says
I just love star anise...especially in cocktails, but this doesn't look too bad either!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Me too! I love star anise and that tongue numbing sensation.
Tandy | Lavender and Lime says
Dave does not eat radishes but I am going to try frying some the next time I make stir fry for one. We make soup or pasta on clean up day 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine says
Stir frying and roasting radishes makes them taste mild and slightly sweet. Love that so much! Pasta and soup are great ways at the end of the week to clean out the inventory!
kitchenriffs says
It's interesting that radishes are thought of as cooling foods. With their somewhat sharp or "spicy" flavor I'd have thought warming. Although the more I think about it, the effect isn't at all the same as garlic or particularly ginger. So much to learn! But first, need to make this dish -- such a nice array of ingredients. Thanks!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hello John, I know it sounds kind of odd but daikon radishes and western radishes fall into the cooling category even though they have that spicy bite to them. Sometimes Chinese medicine can be so confusing...Wishing you and your family a super weekend!