Takeout Style Orange Not-Chicken

8th June 2018

Back in the days when I used to visit America and subsist almost entirely on chicken tenders, I remember trying a sample of Panda Express orange chicken in a shopping mall. My tastebuds at the time would reject anything remotely natural (or green) and so, of course, I fell in love immediately with the neon orange, gooey sweetness. Despite no longer eating chicken, I’m still a sucker for those sweet takeout style sauces but nowadays I make my own to avoid the inevitable sugar/sodium bomb that comes with them.

Recently, I’ve been experimenting with TVP as my favourite Asian grocer in the city sells a wide variety of different types for around $2 a bag. It’s cheap, versatile and makes for a great ‘fake-out’ dish; a nice change from the usual legumes or mushrooms I tend to use as my protein source in meals. For this recipe I used the Vincent Vegetarian Food TVP chunks which make a great sub for chicken or pork style dishes. I served it on mixed veggies and brown rice vermicelli noodles, stir fried in soy sauce, garlic and finished with a drizzle of sesame oil.

The flavour of the sauce itself is much more vibrant than it’s Panda Express counterpart – with orange juice and zest for tang, agave nectar for sweetness, and fresh ginger for a warm kick – and it’s thickened naturally with a slurry of tapioca flour. To keep it on the healthier side I also left the TVP uncoated, but for an even more authentic tasting dish, feel free to batter or breadcrumb the chunks.

Takeout Style Orange Not-Chicken

2018-06-07 02:44:53

A delicious vegan alternative to the Panda Express style orange chicken - made with fresh orange, ginger and TVP chunks. Serves 4.

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Ingredients

80g dried TVP chunks (or tofu/vegan meat chunks)
1 veg stock cube (if using TVP only)
zest and juice of 1 orange
thumb size piece of ginger, minced
1 tsp white miso paste
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup tamari
2 tbsp agave nectar (or sugar/syrup of your choice)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp tapioca flour
1 tbsp olive oil
sesame seeds to serve

Instructions

Start by rehydrating the TVP - if using tofu or other meat alternative, skip this step. Add TVP, veg stock cube and 2 cups of boiling water to a bowl. Leave for 30 minutes (or follow directions for rehydration on package) while you make the sauce.
To make the sauce, in a bowl dissolve the tapioca flour in a couple of tablespoons of water to create a slurry, then add the orange juice and zest, minced ginger, miso paste, rice wine vinegar, tamari, agave, minced garlic and a cup of water. Mix until combined.
Once the TVP is rehydrated, remove from the vegetable stock and gently squeeze to remove any excess liquid.
Add the olive oil to a large frying pan over a high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the rehydrated TVP and fry in the oil, tossing frequently, for roughly ten minutes or until golden.
Once the TVP chunks have reached the golden colour you desire, add the sauce to the pan and bring to a boil. Once bubbling, turn the heat down and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly.
Finally, serve with your choice of side and sprinkle with sesame seeds to finish.

By Grace | eat, write + explore

eat, write + explore http://www.eatwriteexplore.com/

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