The Asian Vegan Kitchen by Hema Parekh is our go-to bible for Asian cooking for the last several years since we spotted it in a book store in Santa Cruz.  We have tried several recipes from the various cuisines covered in the book including Burmese, Indian, Chinese, Japanese and others, and all of them have turned out well.  The only downside is that her ingredient lists are kind of long and involve a lot of chopping.  However the end result is always authentic and delicious.

Vegetarian Chinese Stir Fry with Cabbage, Carrots, Seitan and Cashews

The most dogeared page in our book is the “Kung Pao” recipe in the Chinese section.  Hema Parekh says “This attractive and tasty dish, with its Szechuan-style flavoring and colorful vegetables, is one of our family favorites at the Tokyo American Club”.  V always follows the recipe “by the book” (pun-intended) using the correct measures and ingredients.  I am a little more playful and try to vary the ingredients like I did today.   The trick, however, as with any Chinese stir fry dish, is to not overcook the vegetables, so that they remain crunchy yet have absorbed the flavors of the sauce.

Recipe for Chinese Vegetarian Stir Fry with Seitan
Adapted from The Asian Vegan Kitchen by Hema Parekh
[Printable Recipe]

Ingredients:
Vegetables:

• 1 large carrot – julienned in to thin strips
• 1/2 cup shredded cabbage (1/4th of a small cabbage)
• 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage (1/4th of a small red cabbage)
• 2 stems of kale, only the green part shredded
• 1/2 cup shredded brussel sprouts (about 5 sprouts)

• 2 Tbsp white miso
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp sake
• 2 Tbsp chili oil with about 1 tsp red chili powder mixed (in lieu of 2 Tbsp of Chinese red chili paste)
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 inch ginger, grated

Method:

• Whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce until the miso is well-dissolved
• Marinate the seitan in a little bit of the sauce for around 10 mins
• Soak the red chilies in warm water for around 10 mins
• Heat the vegetable oil in a wok
• Fry the cashews until golden brown.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside
• Add the red chilies and stir for about 3-4 minutes.  Then add the seitan and cook for around 5 mins.   Remove the chilies and seitan with a slotted spoon and set aside
• Add the vegetables to the same oil and stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes over high heat.  Lower the heat, close and cook for 5 minutes
• Remove lid, add in the sauce and cook over medium heat for another 5 minutes.  
• Mix in the chilies and seitan
• Remove from heat.  Drizzle toasted sesame oil on top and garnish with cashews
• Serve over cooked brown rice

Vegetarian Chinese Stir Fry with Seitan and Vegetables