Zucchini Corn Stir Fry

Celebrate your favorite summer produce with this quick Zucchini Corn Stir-Fry! Here, I flavor the vegetables with umami-rich miso, savory soy sauce, and creamy butter to accentuate their sweetness and vibrancy. It’s simple, speedy, and enjoyable! {Vegan adaptable}

What are some of your favorite ways of handling a surplus of zucchini that show up this time of year? In my Japanese kitchen, I love these summer squash on grill and glazed with a tare sauce, sometimes tossed in a light pasta, and occasionally deep-fried for vegetable tempura. However, when I need a quick side dish, I will turn to this lovely stir-fry featuring zucchini and sweet corn.

Why You’ll Enjoy This Recipe

The mild yet silky texture of zucchini contrasts beautifully with crisp and starchy sweet corn, which make them a tasty duo, even in speedy dishes like this. The simple Japanese seasoning only makes the vegetables taste full and satisfying without eclipsing their flavors.

Plus, you can cook it up in a snap when you need a last-minute side to with your meal.

How to Make Zucchini Corn Stir Fry

The Ingredients You’ll Need

• Zucchini
• Large ear of corn – Frozen or drained canned corn would work for this recipe.
• Garlic
• Cooking oil
• Unsalted butter
• Seasonings – miso, soy sauce, and sugar

The Cooking Steps

1. Prep: Cook the corn (I microwave the ear of corn for 2 minutes). Cut the zucchini into 2-inch wedges. Mix the seasonings together in a bowl.
2. Cook: Cook the zucchini on medium-high heat. When browned, add the corn and seasonings and quickly toss together.
3. Serve: You can serve the dish on a large serving platter or individual plates. Serve immediately.

What Type of Miso to Use

For this stir-fry dish, I used Hikari Miso’s Organic Red Miso. The flavor of red miso is distinct, deep, and rich, yet not too overwhelming. You can get a tub of this miso at Japanese or Asian grocery stores or on Amazon.

You can definitely use any type of miso, as long as it’s not Saikyo miso and hatcho miso, both of which have a strong flavor. If you’re interested in learning more about miso, read more here.

Variations

This recipe also works great with yellow squash, Pattypan squash, eggplant, kabocha, and carrot. If you switch the zucchini for kabocha or carrot, cut into a ¼-inch (6 mm) thickness and cook for a little longer.

Recipe Tips and Techniques

• Cut the zucchini into sticks. Zucchini gets cooked really fast because of its high water content. Therefore, I prefer not to cut into thin rounds. We do not need to peel the skin because it’s thin and has a mild taste. The skin also helps retain the shape and prevents it from becoming mushy.
• Do not overcook the zucchini. It can go from tender to mushy very quickly, so be careful not to overcook it. You need to quickly brown the zucchini on medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. At this stage, the zucchini should still be tender and has its original shape, not wilted or mushy.
• Quick stir-fry with corn. Corn is already cooked, so all you need to do is coat it with the seasonings.

What to Serve with Zucchini Corn Stir Fry

• Rice – Hijiki Rice, Sweet Onion Takikomi Gohan
• Soup – Cold Miso Soup, Vegetable Miso Soup
• Salad – Mizuna Myoga Salad, Asian Cabbage Salad
• Sides – Okra with Ginger Soy Sauce, Pickled Tomato

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Zucchini Corn Stir Fry

4.60 from 22 votes

Celebrate your favorite summer produce with this quick Zucchini Corn Stir-Fry! Here, I flavor the vegetables with umami-rich miso, savory soy sauce, and creamy butter to accentuate their sweetness and vibrancy. It‘s simple, speedy, and enjoyable!

Print Pin

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 15 minutes mins

Servings: 2

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 zucchini (12 oz, 340 g; or substitute yellow or pattypan squash, eggplant, kabocha, or carrot)
• ▢ 1 ear sweet corn (12.2 oz, 345 g with husks; or substitute with 1 cup of frozen or drained canned corn)
• ▢ 1 Tbsp neutral oil
• ▢ 1 clove garlic
• ▢ ½ Tbsp unsalted butter (omit for vegan)

For the Seasonings

• ▢ 2 tsp miso (I use Hikari Miso‘s organic red miso; you can use a different type, but avoid Saikyo and Hatcho varieties, which have distinct flavors; read more about different types of miso)
• ▢ 1 tsp soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce for GF)
• ▢ 1 tsp sugar
• ▢ 2 Tbsp water

Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.

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Instructions

 

• Gather all the ingredients.
  

To Prepare the Ingredients

• Wrap a wet paper towel around 1 ear sweet corn (you can leave the husks on) and cook in the microwave for 2 minutes (1000W).
  
• Carefully remove the paper towel, husks, and silk from the hot ear of corn. With a knife, cut off the corn kernels from the cob.
  
• Cut 1 zucchini into thirds (sections about 2 inches or 5 cm long). Cut each piece in half lengthwise, then cut each half lengthwise into 3 wedges.
  

To Mix the Seasonings

• Combine 2 tsp miso, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, and 2 Tbsp water. Mix it all together until the miso and sugar dissolve. Set aside.
  

To Stir-Fry

• Heat a large frying pan on medium-high heat. When it‘s hot, add 1 Tbsp neutral oil. Then, add the zucchini and quickly sear on medium high or high heat until nicely browned on the edges. Tip: The goal is to sear the zucchini fast so it remains firm yet tender. If the heat is too low, the zucchini will wilt and get mushy before it browns.
  
• Once browned, lower the heat. Mince or press 1 clove garlic (I use a garlic press) and add it to the pan. Toss to cook briefly and keep the garlic from burning. Then, add the corn kernels and stir quickly to reheat.
  
• Add the seasonings mixture and ½ Tbsp unsalted butter.
  
• Toss quickly to coat. Your Zucchini Corn Stir-Fry is now ready to serve.
  

To Serve

• I like to serve this dish with soup like Cold Miso Soup or Vegetable Miso Soup and a bowl of rice such as Hijiki Rice or Sweet Onion Takikomi Gohan. For a more complete meal, try adding a salad like Mizuna Myoga Salad or Asian Cabbage Salad and a side dish like Okra with Ginger Soy Sauce or Pickled Tomatoes.

To Store

• Transfer the leftovers to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3–4 days or in the freezer for 1 month.

Nutrition

Calories: 220 kcal · Carbohydrates: 28 g · Protein: 6 g · Fat: 12 g · Saturated Fat: 3 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 5 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g · Trans Fat: 0.2 g · Cholesterol: 8 mg · Sodium: 400 mg · Potassium: 649 mg · Fiber: 4 g · Sugar: 10 g · Vitamin A: 657 IU · Vitamin C: 36 mg · Calcium: 37 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Author: Namiko Hirasawa Chen

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: corn, miso, zucchini

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