Low-FODMAP Vegetable Stir-Fry
Garlic oil instead of garlic. The flavor compounds are fat-soluble, but the fructans are not.
- Preparation
- 15 min
- Cook/bake time
- 15 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 528 kcal
- Servings
- 2
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cooking & baking
- 15 min
Garlic oil instead of garlic. The flavor compounds are fat-soluble, but the fructans are not. Anyone watching their FODMAP intake has to avoid onions and garlic, and with them the foundation of almost every savory dish. The solution is a physical one. You draw the flavor into the oil and leave the problematic sugars behind in the water.
Why this works
The FODMAPs in onions and garlic are fructans, which are chains of fructose molecules that are not broken down in the small intestine and ferment in the large intestine. The crucial factor is their property of being water-soluble and not fat-soluble. The flavor compounds, on the other hand, especially the sulfur compounds allicin and its breakdown products, dissolve very well in fat. So if you steep garlic cloves in oil and then remove them, you have the flavor in the oil and the fructans in the discarded garlic. The same principle applies to leeks and scallions. The white part contains the fructans, while the green part has almost none, so it can be eaten. This is not a compromise, but the foundation of all low-FODMAP cooking.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Prepare the garlic oil
Heat the oil over low heat and let the halved garlic cloves steep in it for 5 minutes until they are light golden. Then remove and discard them. The flavor is now in the oil, and the fructans are in the garlic, which is exactly the point.
- 2
Sear the tofu
Sear the smoked tofu in two tablespoons of the garlic oil over high heat for 5 minutes until it has color all over. It is already cooked and only needs the crust. Frying it for too long makes it tough.
- 3
Hard vegetables first
Add the carrots and beans and fry them for 5 minutes, then add the bell pepper and zucchini for another 5 minutes. The order follows the cooking time. If added to the pan together, the zucchini would be mushy before the carrots are cooked.
- 4
Finish
Remove the pan from the heat and season with soy sauce, sesame oil, and lime juice. Fold in the green parts of the scallions. Unlike the white part, they contain hardly any fructans and are therefore allowed.
Our best tips
- Remove the garlic and do not eat it. The fructans stay in the clove, and the flavor goes into the oil. This is the only way the trick works.
- Use only the green parts of scallions and leeks. The white part contains the fructans, while the green part has almost none.
- Make garlic oil in advance and store it in the refrigerator for a maximum of one week. Oil with fresh aromatics kept at room temperature is a botulism risk.
Tasty variations
With rice noodles
Cook 150 g of rice noodles separately and fold them in at the end. Rice noodles are low in FODMAPs, and wheat noodles are too in small portions. The limit is about 75 g cooked.
With chicken
Replace the tofu with 250 g of chicken breast strips. Meat generally contains no FODMAPs. Only with ready-made marinades is it worth checking the ingredient list, as they almost always contain onion powder.
Nutrition facts
| Calories | 528 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 28 g |
| Carbohydrates | 26 g |
| – of which sugar | 15 g |
| Fat | 34 g |
| Fiber | 12 g |
Where the 528 kcal come from
per serving
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it
We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:
- Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
- Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
- Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
- Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.
A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.
Frequently asked questions
Is this recipe suitable for the FODMAP elimination phase?
The selected ingredients are considered low-FODMAP in the specified amounts. However, tolerance is very individual and portion size is crucial. 200 g of zucchini is safe, but 400 g is not. An elimination diet should be professionally supervised. This recipe does not replace nutritional counseling.
Can I buy ready-made garlic oil?
Yes, industrially produced garlic oil is low-FODMAP because it works on the same principle. Just make sure it consists of oil and garlic extract and contains no garlic pieces, as those bring the fructans back.
How long does homemade garlic oil last?
One week in the refrigerator, no longer and not at room temperature. Oil with fresh plant aromatics provides Clostridium botulinum with an oxygen-free environment. This is the only point in this recipe where it is not about tolerance, but about safety.
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