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Chef Linda
Linda Soper-Kolton, Chef, came to the Sanctuary as a guest chef to share her love of compassionate cooking in our then-fledgling culinary program. Lured by the magic of the Sanctuary, her love of animals and the urgency of our mission, Linda stayed on to lead and grow the culinary program, inspiring and educating with love, patience, and delicious food.
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General Tso’s Seitan

By Chef Linda

If you've got a healthy approach to eating, you've probably never had General Tso's Chicken, a popular sweet, slightly spicy, deep-fried chicken dish served in American Chinese restaurants. A typical restaurant serving of General Tso's Chicken may include up to 1,300 calories, 87 grams of fat, 3,200 milligrams of sodium and over 60 grams of sugar! This one dish may exceed a person's entire daily recommended sodium and carbohydrate intake and more than half of the recommended caloric intake. Yikes!

Our veganized version is better in so many ways! We reduced the overall calories, sodium, and sugar, so your body will be thankful, no factory-farming involved here so the planet will breath a sigh of relief, and we use seitan (made from wheat gluten) to replace the chicken, so no suffering! Don’t be intimidated by what looks like a long list of ingredients and steps. It’s not difficult as you’ll find, and with a taste that is succulent, sweetly savory and satisfying, you will want to keep it in your repertoire.

In our Compassionate Cuisine Ethnic Cuisine Series, I shared this recipe with an eager room full of people. Of all the dishes we made that night, this one got a standing ovation. Students in the class raved that the batter-fried seitan nuggets and sticky-sweet-hot sauce would fool anyone, and rushed home to share the recipe. This is one you'll want to try...and then try again, and again!

Ingredients

For the Marinade
 2 tablespoons rice wine, (dry sherry, dry white wine or apple juice are acceptable substitutes)
 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
 3 tablespoons corn starch
 16 ounces seitan, cut into 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch chunks (seitan can be found in most healthy grocery stores)
For the Batter
 ¼ cup flour
 ½ cup cornstarch, divided use
 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Sauce
 3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
 2 tablespoons rice wine, (dry sherry, dry white wine or apple juice are acceptable substitutes)
 2 tablespoons rice vinegar or white vinegar
 3 tablespoons water
 6 tablespoons real maple syrup
 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seed oil
 1 tablespoon corn starch
 2 teaspoons peanut, grape seed or other high-heat oil
 2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about two teaspoons)
 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced (about 2 teaspoons)
 6 scallions, white part minced (about 2 teaspoons), green parts cut into 1/2 inch pieces
 4 small dried red chile peppers, whole
 1 ½ quarts peanut, grape seed or other high-heat oil for frying
 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Directions

1

For the Marinade: Whisk together tamari, wine, and set aside about half the liquid in a small bowl. Add baking soda and corn starch to the original bowl and whisk to combine. Place seitan chunks in original bowl that now has the baking soda and corn starch added, toss to coat thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside while you prepare the other ingredients.

For the Batter: Whisk flour, 1/4 cup corn starch (reserve the remaining 1/4 cup), baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add reserved marinade and whisk until mixture is thick and clumpy. Add a little more water if necessary to thin. Set aside.

For the Sauce: Combine tamari, wine, vinegar, water, syrup, sesame oil, and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir with a fork until cornstarch is dissolved and no lumps remain. Set aside.

Place a medium-sized skillet over low-medium heat and add oil. When oil has warmed, add garlic, ginger, minced scallions, and red chili peppers and stir, being careful not to let garlic turn brown. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are aromatic and soft, but not browned, about 3 minutes. Stir sauce mixture (as cornstarch will have settled on the bottom of the bowl) then add to skillet. Cook, stirring, until sauce starts to thicken and bubble, about 1 minute. Add green scallion segments and stir for another minute or two. Transfer sauce to a bowl to stop cooking, but don’t wipe out skillet

To Finish: Heat oil in a large wok or pot to 350°F and adjust flame to maintain temperature. (You want the oil to be about 2 to 3 inches deep.) It’s important to have the right temperature for frying or else the food absorbs too much oil.

 Place remaining 1/4 cup of corn starch on a small plate and, working one piece at a time, transfer seitan from marinade to cornstarch, tossing lightly to coat. Transfer pieces to the bowl with batter, and turn over, ensuring that it’s totally covered. Leave seitan in after bowl until ready to fry.

 

With a fork, lift one piece of seitan at a time out of the coating, letting some of the excess drip off, and carefully lower into hot oil. Once all the seitan is added, cook on one side until golden brown then flip over to cook other side. Once you add the seitan, the temperature of the oil will drop so adjust heat to maintain temperature.

Remove with a metal spider or slotted spoon when all sides are nicely browned and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. When all the seitan has been fried, place sauce skillet over medium heat and return the sauce to the skillet, then add seitan pieces. Toss to coat all the pieces in the thickened sauce for a minute or two and remove pan from heat. Alternatively, you can arrange seitan on a platter and drizzle sauce on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Notes

General Tso’s Seitan
IngredientsDirections

General Tso’s Seitan

DifficultyModerate
YIELDS
4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

For the Marinade
 2 tablespoons rice wine, (dry sherry, dry white wine or apple juice are acceptable substitutes)
 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
 3 tablespoons corn starch
 16 ounces seitan, cut into 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch chunks (seitan can be found in most healthy grocery stores)
For the Batter
 ¼ cup flour
 ½ cup cornstarch, divided use
 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Sauce
 3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
 2 tablespoons rice wine, (dry sherry, dry white wine or apple juice are acceptable substitutes)
 2 tablespoons rice vinegar or white vinegar
 3 tablespoons water
 6 tablespoons real maple syrup
 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seed oil
 1 tablespoon corn starch
 2 teaspoons peanut, grape seed or other high-heat oil
 2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about two teaspoons)
 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced (about 2 teaspoons)
 6 scallions, white part minced (about 2 teaspoons), green parts cut into 1/2 inch pieces
 4 small dried red chile peppers, whole
 1 ½ quarts peanut, grape seed or other high-heat oil for frying
 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS

1

For the Marinade: Whisk together tamari, wine, and set aside about half the liquid in a small bowl. Add baking soda and corn starch to the original bowl and whisk to combine. Place seitan chunks in original bowl that now has the baking soda and corn starch added, toss to coat thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside while you prepare the other ingredients.

For the Batter: Whisk flour, 1/4 cup corn starch (reserve the remaining 1/4 cup), baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add reserved marinade and whisk until mixture is thick and clumpy. Add a little more water if necessary to thin. Set aside.

For the Sauce: Combine tamari, wine, vinegar, water, syrup, sesame oil, and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir with a fork until cornstarch is dissolved and no lumps remain. Set aside.

Place a medium-sized skillet over low-medium heat and add oil. When oil has warmed, add garlic, ginger, minced scallions, and red chili peppers and stir, being careful not to let garlic turn brown. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are aromatic and soft, but not browned, about 3 minutes. Stir sauce mixture (as cornstarch will have settled on the bottom of the bowl) then add to skillet. Cook, stirring, until sauce starts to thicken and bubble, about 1 minute. Add green scallion segments and stir for another minute or two. Transfer sauce to a bowl to stop cooking, but don’t wipe out skillet

To Finish: Heat oil in a large wok or pot to 350°F and adjust flame to maintain temperature. (You want the oil to be about 2 to 3 inches deep.) It’s important to have the right temperature for frying or else the food absorbs too much oil.

 Place remaining 1/4 cup of corn starch on a small plate and, working one piece at a time, transfer seitan from marinade to cornstarch, tossing lightly to coat. Transfer pieces to the bowl with batter, and turn over, ensuring that it’s totally covered. Leave seitan in after bowl until ready to fry.

 

With a fork, lift one piece of seitan at a time out of the coating, letting some of the excess drip off, and carefully lower into hot oil. Once all the seitan is added, cook on one side until golden brown then flip over to cook other side. Once you add the seitan, the temperature of the oil will drop so adjust heat to maintain temperature.

Remove with a metal spider or slotted spoon when all sides are nicely browned and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. When all the seitan has been fried, place sauce skillet over medium heat and return the sauce to the skillet, then add seitan pieces. Toss to coat all the pieces in the thickened sauce for a minute or two and remove pan from heat. Alternatively, you can arrange seitan on a platter and drizzle sauce on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

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