Crispy Sweet & Sour Seitan

This has more steps than most stir-fries, but I think it's worth the extra effort on occasion.  I love the crispiness of the battered seitan, but if you want to save time or lower the fat content, you can skip that step and just toss the seitan in when you cook the peppers and onions.

The Ingredients:

2 red bell peppers, in thin strips
1/2 a medium yellow onion, sliced


Sauce:
1/2 c water
2 1/2 T rice vinegar
2 T + 1 t sugar
1 T soy sauce or liquid aminos
1 T ketchup
2 t molasses
3/4 t finely-grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 scant T cornstarch, mixed with 2 T water
optional: 1/2 t chili paste or red pepper flakes

Crispy seitan:
1 lb seitan, cut in strips
1/2 c cornstarch
1/4 cup water
oil for frying

The Process:

1. To make the sauce, combine everything except the cornstarch/water mixture in a small saucepan over low heat, and cook until sugar melts.  Stir in cornstarch/water mixture, remove from heat, and set aside.
2. To make crispy seitan, whisk together cornstarch and water, and toss in seitan to coat.  Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook seitan (in batches if necessary to avoid crowding pan), stirring occasionally, until golden and very crispy, about 5 minutes.  Remove seitan from oil and set on paper towels or a flattened paper bag to drain.
3. In a wok or large skillet, stir-fry peppers and onions in about 1 T of oil over high heat until softened, about 4 minutes.  Add sauce, lower heat to medium, and continue cooking until thickened, about 2 minutes.  Toss in seitan.  Serve over soba or udon noodles.