Black pepper seitan with peppers and onion
18 min · 45 g protein · 378 cals / serving
Chinese-American pepper steak with seitan in place of beef: chewy strips seared until browned, then tossed with sweet red and yellow peppers and onion in a glossy soy and ginger sauce. Coarsely cracked black pepper toasted in the hot oil gives it a warm, peppery bite rather than chili heat.
Ingredients
- 12 oz seitan, in thin strips
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp canola oil, divided
- 1 1/2 tsp black pepper, coarsely cracked
- 1 medium onion, in thick slices
- 1 large red bell pepper, in strips
- 1 large yellow bell pepper, in strips
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 tsp ginger, minced
Sauce
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
Steps
- Pat the seitan strips dry and toss them with the 2 teaspoons of cornstarch. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of the oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over high heat and sear the seitan in one layer, turning once, for 4–5 minutes until browned at the edges. Tip onto a plate.
- Add the last 1/2 teaspoon of oil and the cracked pepper and let it sizzle for 15–20 seconds, until it smells toasty. Add the onion and peppers and stir-fry 3 minutes, until they are just tender but still have a crunch.
- Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds.
- Stir the soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch and water together and pour it in. Bubble for about 30 seconds until glossy, then return the seitan and toss for a minute until everything is coated. Serve hot.
Good to know
How do I crack peppercorns?
Crush whole black peppercorns under the flat of a heavy knife or in a mortar, or set a pepper mill to its coarsest grind. Fine ground pepper turns bitter in the hot oil; coarse pieces turn fragrant.
Rice on the side?
Pepper steak is classically spooned over rice; about 1/2 cup of cooked rice per person is enough with this much seitan.
Gluten-free?
Seitan is wheat. Use 12 oz of extra-firm tofu in thick strips, blotted well and fried a few minutes longer, with tamari for the soy sauce, at about 67 instead of 72.
Per
- Calories
- 89
- Protein
- (47%)
- 10 g
- Fat
- (17%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (36%)
- 9 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 339 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 755 kcal goes into the pot and 917 g of ingredients comes out as about 850 g of food: 89 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.