Vegan chow mein with seitan and vegetables

Ingredients

• 450 g of soybean sprouts (mung beans)
• 425 g of seitan
• 225 g of dry Chinese noodles (type wonton)
• Two stalks of celery
• 450 g of pak choi or broccoli
• 225 g of fresh mushrooms
• 1 bell pepper
• Half a red onion
• 1 green onion
• Vegetable oil suitable for deep frying, in sufficient quantity
• 35 g of roasted sesame seeds
• 4 tablespoons of finely chopped shiitake mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons of sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• salt
• pepper
• 1/4 cup of cornstarch
• 6 cl of water or low-sodium vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
• 4 tablespoons of water

Rinse the soybeans for 1 to 2 hours before cooking, to allow them to drain completely.

Cut the seitan into thin strips. Add the marinade ingredients, and the flour last, and let it marinate for 20 to 25 minutes.

During the marinating process, prepare the following three steps.

For the sauce, whisk together 1 tablespoon of flour with 4 tablespoons of water. Add the broth, soy sauce, salt, and pepper to the mixture, then set aside.

Soak the noodles in boiling, salted water. Then, plunge them into cold water to stop the cooking process, and drain them thoroughly.

Wash all the vegetables. Chop the celery and pak-choi into pieces about 1.5 cm in size, at an angle. If you are substituting the pak-choi with broccoli, peel the stems until they are free of fibers, then slice them thinly at an angle. Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth and slice them. Cut the bell pepper in half, remove the seeds, and chop it into pieces. Peel and finely chop the red onion. Mince the green onion.

Heat a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add oil, then the noodles. Stir-fry in batches, then remove.

Heat the oil. Add the onion and seitan, reserving the remaining marinade. Sauté briefly, then continue cooking until the seitan is almost cooked through. Remove the seitan and onion.

Cook the other vegetables separately, except for the green onion, lightly salting them if desired. For the pak-choi or broccoli, add 6 cl of water and cover during cooking. Remove each vegetable once it is cooked. Add oil if needed.

Quickly stir the sauce. Return all the ingredients to the wok, creating a well in the center for the sauce. Pour in the sauce and the remaining marinade, then stir quickly to thicken. Add the green onions, then pour the mixture over the noodles and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Serve hot.