Protein Recipe ✓ Seitan in Peanut Sauce or Vegetarian Gai Tua

This is a delicious modification of a classic Thai dish! You've probably had the chicken version if you're a meat eater, and I'm sure you could substitute meat for the seitan, however, I urge you to give the seitan a try. Seitan is a meat substitute made from wheat gluten. Seitan comes the closest to real meat that a vegetarian or vegan can have. Seitan really picks up the flavor of whatever marinade it's put into. If you've ever had 'mock duck' at a Thai restaurant, then you've had seitan before. It can be found at natural food or Asian food stores.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon red curry paste
• 1 (15 ounce) can coconut milk, divided
• 1 (16 ounce) package chicken-style seitan, cut into strips or cubes
• 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon chili garlic sauce
• ½ teaspoon vegetarian oyster sauce
• ½ sweet onion, chopped
• 1 bunch fresh spinach, chopped
• 4 green onions, chopped

Cooking Directions

1. Combine the ginger, garlic, and curry paste in small bowl. Slowly pour in 1/4 cup coconut milk; stirring until the mixture is smooth. Gently stir in the seitan, coating the seitan with the marinade. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The longer you let it soak, the more flavorful the seitan will taste!
2. Stir together the remaining coconut milk, peanut butter, sugar, vegetable oil, tamari, chili garlic sauce, and oyster sauce in a medium bowl. Don't worry if it's not completely blended: when you cook it, the various substances will meld wonderfully. Set sauce aside.
3. Lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray; add the chopped onion; cook over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the onion is tender. Stir in the seitan, and cook until the seitan is heated through, about 7 minutes. Pour in the sauce, and stir to combine. Mix in the spinach and green onions; cook 3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and the spinach is cooked.

Nutrition Facts

• calories557.5
• carbohydrateContent34 g
• fatContent33.3 g
• fiberContent8.6 g
• proteinContent40.5 g
• saturatedFatContent22 g
• sodiumContent645 mg
• sugarContent12.1 g