Happy almost Thanksgiving aka my favorite holiday everrrrr! It’s not just the day that I love so much, but all the festive feelings and pumpkins AND crisp air weather, that come with it. Thanksgiving memories to me are SO much stuffing, pumpkin pie, and homemade cranberry sauce. Does anyone else agree that Thanksgiving food is the best food?!
Now, I know that I should be here sharing a pumpkin related dish, or a “tofurky” of some sort, but this general tso’s recipe could not wait any longer. PLUS, you may get reallll sick of left overs come the weekend, and you miiight just want a fake-out take-out for dinner.
I’ve made this recipe a good handful of times, and finally perfected the right amount of spice with sweetness. You can use any type of “meat” in the place of seitan, or simply toss this sauce with some veggies. And if you’re not so traditional when it comes to bringing a dish to the table at Thanksgiving, shall I suggest whipping this up?! It certainly will not disappoint ;)
Try it for yourselves, and have the happiest Thanksgiving! xx
I N G R E D I E N T S:
8 oz package of seitan (or sub for your fav meatless ‘meat’)
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 inch knob of fresh ginger, minced
A few stalks of green onion, diced (optional)
2 Tbs of brown sugar
2 tsp of sambal oelek or sriracha
White pepper + red pepper flakes, to taste
GENERAL TSO’S SAUCE2 Tbs of soy sauce (or tamari)
2 Tbs of rice wine
2 Tbs of water
1 tsp of cornstarch
PREP: Begin by cooking your rice of choice! If serving with broccoli, steam that as well. Dice everything up, make sure the seitan is cut into large cube/chicken like bite-size shapes, and combine your sauce in a small bowl. Toss the seitan with just a teaspoon or two of cornstarch to lightly coat.
COOK: In a large non stick frying pan or wok, add a swish of grapeseed oil (or neutral oil) over medium high heat. Once hot, toss in the seitan and cook until golden. Remove from heat, and set aside. Carefully wipe the pan clean, and reheat the pan over medium heat —add about two tablespoons of sesame oil. Once hot, toss in the garlic, ginger + green onions. Cook for just a minute until fragrant, and then add the brown sugar. Push all into the center of your frying pan, and add additional oil if needed. Let it cook until it begins to bubble and almost melt in a way (just a few minutes). Reduce heat to medium low, and carefully add in the sauce. Mix around and it’ll quickly become a bubbbbbly sauce. MMM! Add in the sambal oelek (or sriracha) with a dash of white pepper and tiny pinch of red pepper flakes. Laslty, toss in the seitan and toss until coated to perfect. Cook for a few minutes and serve immediately with steamed broccoli, over a hot bed of rice.
QUICK INSTANT POT RICE
1 cup of white rice, rinsed well
1 1/4 cup of water
In your instant pot, add in your water + white rice. Cook on rice setting for 3 minutes, and once cooking is complete, let sit for 10 minutes. Release remaining steam, and fluff!
You can of course adjust the amount of rice to your preference, as long as you keep the equation the same for the water. Cooking time will be the same :)