Seitanic Sweet n' Sour

Our Spicy Nuggets are a perfect fit for this Chinese-American takeout classic. Tender vegetables, savory aromatics, and sweet pineapple are drenched in a glossy, tangy-sweet sauce and tossed with hot, crispy seitan nuggets. Holy hell. We recommend serving Seitanic Sweet n' Sour with two quick sides: white jasmine rice, and garlic-sesame seared broccoli. Serves four hungry devils.

Bartleby's maintains a soy-free menu (in additional to being vegan, duh), so we used liquid aminos in this recipe as a replacement for the traditional soy sauce. Arrowroot acts as a sauce thickener, and replaces the traditionally used cornstarch.

Full recipe is on this page, and we've also got a printable PDF version available:
Bartleby's_Food_BAH_recipe_printable_sweet_n_sour.pdf (2.1 MB)

 

Ingredients

You probably have most of these items already in your pantry.

• Bartleby's Spicy Seitan Nuggets, full pack (16 pieces)
• 1 TB canola oil (or other neutral cooking oil)
• 1 red bell pepper, large dice
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, large dice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 oz can of pineapple chunks, juice reserved
• 2 TB arrowroot starch/flour
• 1/4 C brown sugar
• 1/4 C ketchup
• 1/4 C apple cider vinegar
• 2 TB coconut aminos
• finely sliced chives and/or scallions, sesame seeds, and chili flakes for garnish (optional)

 

Tools

Here are all the items you need to create this dish in your own kitchen.

• oven and stove top
• baking sheet and spatula or flipper
• large deep skillet (about 12") and heat-safe stirring spoon
• cutting board and knife

 

Directions

Gather and prep all your ingredients before starting to cook!

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Place nuggets on an ungreased baking sheet on the center rack of your oven. Bake 10-15 minutes, flipping about halfway through. They should be heated through to the center, and the hand-battered coating should start to sizzle and crisp up. (See our Reheating Instructions for more oven options.)
3. While nuggets are heating, make the rest of your stuff. Heat canola oil in skillet over medium-low heat. Add red pepper and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 7 minutes.
4. Add garlic, stir, and cook just until fragrant, about 1 minute.
5. Add pineapple chunks, stir, and let warm through.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk together arrowroot starch, brown sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, aminos, and the the reserved pineapple juice (about 1/4 C).
7. Add liquid mixture to skillet, raise heat to medium, and cook, stirring frequently, until sauce has thickened to your liking, about 5 minutes. You want it to coat the nuggies, but retain pourability.
8. Remove your heated Nuggets from the oven, place into the skillet with warm and thickened sweet n' sour sauce, and turn to coat. Divide between four bowls, garnish, and serve. Don't forget to stuff yer face! 

 

Notes

If the sauce gets too thick or gummy, add water, a couple tablespoons at a time, to loosen it. We like Primal Kitchen Organic Unsweetened Ketchup and BRAGG Liquid Aminos. This post is not sponsored, we just dig these products.