Seitan in Spicy Orange Sauce

To satisfy my perpetual craving for sweet, sour, and spicy flavors at the same time, I made one of my perennial favorites for dinner last night: Seitan in Spicy Orange Sauce from Vegan Fire & Spice. This sauce gives the seitan a gorgeous color, and the flavor is amazing with a nice balance of flavors that can be tweaked to suit your own taste–whether you want it hotter or sweeter. The amount of sauce in the recipe is enough to coat the seitan, but if you want a little extra to spoon over rice, then double up on the sauce part of the recipe. Since I was only cooking for two, I used just 8 ounces of seitan and a full amount of the sauce.

Seitan in Spicy Orange Sauce
This dish can also be made with extra-firm tofu or tempeh. For a complete meal, add some blanched asparagus or broccoli to the stir-fry and serve over rice. This recipe is from my new book, Vegan Fire & Spice: 200 Sultry & Savory Global Recipes.
2 tablespoons cold-pressed canola oil
1 pound seitan, cut into 1/2-inch strips
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon light brown sugar, or a natural sweetener
1 teaspoon hot chile paste
1 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the seitan and stir-fry until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the soy sauce, brown sugar, and hot chile paste. Add the orange juice and bring to a boil. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and continue cooking until the sauce thickens.
Serves 4