Published Jun 10, 2024 Updated Aug 12, 2024
Happy Family Chinese Dish
Loaded with protein and vegetables, happy family is something that almost every Chinese restaurant has on its menu. It’s literally a family of different ingredients combined to make a hearty and delicious meal with the perfect balance of flavors, textures, colors, and nutrition. Have limited ingredients? Save this recipe for next time and make my Broccoli Beef or Hoisin Chicken instead!
What Is Happy Family
A typical family dine-in experience at any Chinese restaurant includes ordering dishes with vegetables, meat, and seafood of some sort. The combination of these three elements is where this dish got its name “Happy Family” which is also called “Triple Delight.” It’s a popular Chinese stir-fry with vegetables like broccoli and carrots, meat like beef and chicken, and seafood like shrimp and lobster, all cooked in a simple yet delicious brown sauce. This is one of those dishes that truly embraces the art of Chinese cooking—combining different flavors, textures, and colors to create a tasty, well-balanced, and satisfying meal!
Ingredients For Happy Family
Vegetables – Use as many vegetables as you like, but the most commonly used ones are broccoli, carrots, and sugar snap or snow peas. You can also add canned vegetables like mushrooms, bamboo shoots, young baby corn, and water chestnuts for variety. These add a nice crunch and color to the dish while providing a lot of nutrients! Meat and seafood – A typical recipe uses beef, chicken, and shrimp. But you can use other types of protein like pork/BBQ pork, scallops, and lobster/crab meat. Marinade – made with simple ingredients like sugar and dry sherry wine or Chinese cooking wine to tenderize the meat and seafood while adding lots of savory flavors! Brown sauce – I made my own mix using light and sweet soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, chicken broth, and dry sherry wine. It’s simple yet really flavorful and it coats all the ingredients beautifully!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients
How To Make Happy Family
This easy happy family recipe can be one of your go-to dishes for a quick and satisfying meal. It’s perfect for both simple weeknight dinners or large family gatherings during the weekend. And if you’re like me who loves a good stir-fry, you won’t think twice about trying this one out! Here’s how to cook Chinese happy family fish in just 15 minutes:
Helpful Tips For Home Cooks
Use a wok or a large skillet to make this dish. I recommend using a wok as it distributes heat more evenly and the ingredients can cook quickly while retaining their texture and color. But if you don’t have a wok, a large skillet would work just fine. Prepare all the ingredients beforehand. Have everything chopped, sliced, and portioned to make the process smoother and more efficient. This dish cooks quickly, so you don’t want to scramble for ingredients while stir-frying. Use high heat for a short amount of time to retain the freshness and crunchiness of the vegetables. Chinese cooking is all about quick and intense heat, so make sure your wok is hot enough before adding in the ingredients.
What To Serve With This Recipe
This recipe is best served as an entree with a bowl of white rice. Serve this dish with other Chinese classics such as hot and sour soup. For an easy and wholesome Chinese-style weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes: I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
