When you're hungry and just want something really fast... look no further! This takes 10 minutes (if that) and is incredibly tasty. Just use what you have! This version uses mushrooms, aubergine and red pepper with green chilli for a bit of a kick. I also cheated and used 'straight to wok' medium noodles, which are just so convenient when you want food now.
When you're hungry and just want something really fast... look no further! This takes 10 minutes (if that) and is incredibly tasty. Just use what you have! This version uses mushrooms, aubergine and red pepper with green chilli for a bit of a kick. I also cheated and used 'straight to wok' medium noodles, which are just so convenient when you want food now.
Chop all your veg and heat 1 Tbsp oil in a wok before throwing it all in. Saute for 2 minutes
Add the dark soy sauce and mix well. This will season the veg nicely and add some colour. Add the chinese five spice and ensure everything is covered evenly. You only need about 1/2 tsp of this! Saute for another 2 minutes.
Create a hole in the middle of the wok and add the noodles along with the light soy sauce and white rice vinegar, mix in well. The hotter the pan the better at this stage. Fry the noodles in the middle for 1-2 minutes before mixing with the veg and serving with fresh coriander sprinkled on top.
Recipe Notes
Other great veg options for this include beansprouts, green beans or mange tout, sliced water chestnuts and broccoli. You can make a great stir fry using almost any vegetables you have available!
A ridiculously tasty vegan version of the popular Chinese takeaway favourite: Crispy Chilli Beef!
After accidentally creating some sort of crispy beef/steak out of seitan one day, I refined it to closely resemble the look, taste and texture of the real thing before deciding it would be perfect for a vegan 'crispy chilli beef' recipe. I was not disappointed! It takes a bit of prep work, but once you've tried it you'll realise it was time well spent.
A ridiculously tasty vegan version of the popular Chinese takeaway favourite: Crispy Chilli Beef!
After accidentally creating some sort of crispy beef/steak out of seitan one day, I refined it to closely resemble the look, taste and texture of the real thing before deciding it would be perfect for a vegan 'crispy chilli beef' recipe. I was not disappointed! It takes a bit of prep work, but once you've tried it you'll realise it was time well spent.
In a large bowl, add the vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, smoked paprika, bouillon powder and beetroot powder and mix well with a fork. Add the dark soy sauce, liquid smoke and 60ml water and mix well. Form into a dough, set aside the bowl and knead on a clean surface for 2-3 minutes. This will toughen up the gluten slightly. If you use too much water, just add a bit more gluten.
Stretch out the dough so it's long and thin; it will have some resistance, but keep at it and apply pressure with your hands and it will stay put.
Slice the seitan into long, thin strips. It doubles in size when cooking so the thinner you slice it, the better. More surface area means more sauce coverage!
In the bowl you set aside, add the cornflour and Chinese five spice and mix well with a fork. Coat each piece of seitan with the mixture.
In a large wok, heat approx. 6 tbsp vegetable oil until hot. Fry the pieces of seitan for about 10 minutes or until browned and crispy. Set aside.
(while it's cooking, chop the veggies so you're not hanging around)
Veggies
Thinly slice the red pepper and chilli (with seeds). Slice the spring onions and separate the lighter parts from the green. Mince or slice the garlic into small pieces and slice the ginger into matchsticks.
Set aside half the chilli and the green parts of the spring onions.
Fry the ginger, garlic, red pepper, half the chilli and white parts of the spring onions for a 2-3 minutes on a medium heat until soft. Try not to burn the garlic and ginger or they'll go bitter.
Sauce
While the veg is cooking, grab a jug (or bowl) and add the vinegar, light soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, ketchup and 2 tbsp water. Mix well and add to the wok. Turn up the heat and let it bubble for a minute or two. Add the seitan and ensure the pieces are coated evenly in sauce. Heat for another minute.
Serve on noodles or rice, and sprinkle the green bits of spring onions and remaining chilli on top. Enjoy hot!
Recipe Notes
The seitan could easily be used in any recipe that calls for beef—Chinese or otherwise. You could also make larger quantities of the seitan dough and freeze it for later to save you making it from scratch every time. Also, you can freeze any leftover cornflour/five spice mixture in a bag if you use too much; although it's cheap there's no need to waste anything!
