The first time I tried seitan, I'd been vegan for about half a year and freaked out, thinking that Whole Foods seriously screwed up when they told me I was buying mock chicken salad. I spit the bite into a napkin and read the ingredient label, only to find Whole Foods indeed was not a no-good, low-down, lying scumbag of a company. In fact, they introduced me to this mysterious seitan (not to be confused with Heaven's arch-nemesis), which actually is simply wheat gluten, prepared in a fancy manner to cook, taste and look just like chicken or beef.
For this stir-fry, I broke up a package of seitan and threw into a wok. But... DON'T THROW OUT THE SEITAN WATER!!! We'll use it later. Let the seitan fry in the wok (with or without a bit of oil or water to keep it moist). While the seitan is in the wok, cut up and toss in a bunch of asparagus and a head or so of broccoli. Stir it. Fry it. Let it sit there for up to 10 minutes.
While that's cooking, pour the seitan water into a microwavable container. Stir in 2-4 teaspoons of cornstarch. Microwave for about 2 minutes. This mixture will turn into the white sauce gravy. If it's not thick enough, add in another teaspoon or two of cornstarch and microwave again. Once you've reached a thin gravy consistency, pour it into the wok with the seitan and veggies. Stir-fry it all for another few minutes to allow the flavor to soak into the seitan and veggies, and the excess liquid to steam off. Serve alone, or over your rice of choice.
