Vegan Crispy Orange Seitan
By Katherine PerryPublished on November 5, 2019
Time
1¼ hours
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Sauce
½ cup vegetable broth ¼ cup packed organic dark brown sugar 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar 3 tablespoons soy sauce 2 garlic cloves, minced1 teaspoon grated orange zest, plus 6 (2-inch) strips zest, plus ½ cup juice¾ teaspoon grated fresh ginger ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper 4 teaspoons cold water 1 tablespoon cornstarch 6 dried bird chiles (optional)1 scallion, sliced thinSeitan
1½ cups cornstarch ½ cup cornmeal 1 cup canned coconut milk 1 pound seitan, drained, patted dry, and cut into 1-inch pieces3 cups vegetable oil SaltBefore You Begin
Use cubed or block seitan, not ground or strips in this recipe. For a spicier dish, increase the cayenne added to the sauce to ½ teaspoon. The bird chiles are added for appearance only and can be omitted. Stir them into the sauce at the end of cooking; allowing them to sit in the sauce for too long will turn the sauce unpalatably spicy. We strongly prefer our favorite vegetable broths, Orrington Farms Vegan Chicken Broth or our homemade Vegetable Broth Base. Serve over rice and with steamed broccoli.
Instructions
- Bring broth, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, grated orange zest and juice, ginger, and cayenne to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Whisk cold water and cornstarch together in bowl, then whisk into boiling sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute (you should have about 1½ cups sauce). Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position, place paper towel–lined plate on rack, and heat oven to 200 degrees.
- Combine cornstarch and cornmeal in shallow dish. Combine coconut milk and seitan in bowl; turn to coat. Working with 1 piece seitan at a time, remove from coconut milk, letting excess drip back into bowl, then coat well with cornstarch mixture, pressing gently to adhere; transfer to large plate. Repeat with remaining seitan.
- Add oil to 12-inch nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Add half of seitan and cook until golden brown on all sides, flipping as necessary, 7 to 11 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to plate in oven. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining seitan.
- Add strips orange zest; chiles, if using; and seitan to sauce in pot and toss to coat well. Season with salt to taste, transfer to platter, sprinkle with scallions, and serve.
for the sauce
for the seitan
Time
1¼ hoursYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Sauce
Seitan
Ingredients
Sauce
Seitan
Ingredients
Sauce
Seitan
Why This Recipe Works
Seitan, a protein made from wheat gluten, was the best protein option; its chewy interior provided a perfect contrast to a crispy coating. To make sure our coating kept its crunch under the sauce, we would typically dip the protein in egg, dredge it in cornstarch, and fry it. To replace the egg wash, we dunked our seitan pieces in canned coconut milk. And we added cornmeal to the cornstarch coating for a rough surface to hold on to our quick-to-make, vibrant orange juice–based sauce.
Before You Begin
Use cubed or block seitan, not ground or strips in this recipe. For a spicier dish, increase the cayenne added to the sauce to ½ teaspoon. The bird chiles are added for appearance only and can be omitted. Stir them into the sauce at the end of cooking; allowing them to sit in the sauce for too long will turn the sauce unpalatably spicy. We strongly prefer our favorite vegetable broths, Orrington Farms Vegan Chicken Broth or our homemade Vegetable Broth Base. Serve over rice and with steamed broccoli.
Instructions
- Bring broth, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, grated orange zest and juice, ginger, and cayenne to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Whisk cold water and cornstarch together in bowl, then whisk into boiling sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute (you should have about 1½ cups sauce). Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position, place paper towel–lined plate on rack, and heat oven to 200 degrees.
- Combine cornstarch and cornmeal in shallow dish. Combine coconut milk and seitan in bowl; turn to coat. Working with 1 piece seitan at a time, remove from coconut milk, letting excess drip back into bowl, then coat well with cornstarch mixture, pressing gently to adhere; transfer to large plate. Repeat with remaining seitan.
- Add oil to 12-inch nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Add half of seitan and cook until golden brown on all sides, flipping as necessary, 7 to 11 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to plate in oven. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining seitan.
- Add strips orange zest; chiles, if using; and seitan to sauce in pot and toss to coat well. Season with salt to taste, transfer to platter, sprinkle with scallions, and serve.
for the sauce
for the seitan
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