Sweet and Spicy Seitan and Japanese Eggplant Stirfry (for beginners!)

This recipe is perfect for anyone who isn't yet confident enough to make their own sauce...or just feels like taking a very very delicious shortcut. Store bought, jarred sauces are ok, but they always seem just a little off. My solution? Mix a couple of them together until the taste is exactly what you're looking for. The following sort of resembles a typical General Tso's but with more soy/teriyaki flavor and less unabashed sweetness (honestly most General Tso's I get in restaurants is way too sugary). You'll need to buy 3 different sauces, but each is very useful, so I promise it won't be a waste!

Sweet and Spicy Seitan and Japanese Eggplant Stirfry 

Serves 2-3 depending how hungry everyone is

3-4 small Japanese eggplants, sliced into rounds and then
1/2 bag frozen broccoli
3 stalks celery, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
Generous handful of water chestnuts (I buy the slices and then cut them in half one more time)
4-5 button or white mushrooms, sliced
Any other veggies you want to add - bamboo shoots, peppers, etc.
1 package chicken style seitan (you can get it in pre-shredded chunks but I like to buy it "cubed" and slice it myself)
Heaping plateful of cornstarch
4 tbs. vegetable oil, divided

For the sauce combination, start with the following approximation:
1 part sweet chili sauce (I used Thai Kitchen)
1 part sichuan stir-fry sauce (I used House of Tsang)
2 parts Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki (you can use this in a bunch of different Asian dishes or as a dipping sauce for spring rolls, dumplings, etc)

You can adjust the ratio however you want to acheive your ideal balance of sweet, tangy, and spicy.

Heat 2 tbs. of the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok. Stirfry the vegetables in order of hardness, waiting about 45 seconds after each addition so that by the end everything is nicely softened. Start with the celery and carrots together, then the water chestnuts, then the frozen broccoli, and finally the mushrooms and eggplant together.

While the veggies are cooking, roll each piece of seitan in cornstarch on both sides. Heat the remaining oil in a different skillet over medium heat and fry the seitan pieces until golden brown. The excess cornstarch will mix with the oil and make what looks like a gross mess, but don't worry about it. The pan might get a little dry since the cornstarch is so absorbent, so add a little more oil if you need to. When the seitan is nice and crispy, place the pieces on a piece of paper towel to drain, then add them to the stirfried vegetables.

In a small saucepan, heat the sauce combination until warm. Drizzle the sauce over the seitan and veggies and toss to coat. Don't use too much sauce, since it's really flavorful and may overpower the stirfry...you just want a nice glaze. Serve over brown rice or noodles. Unfortunately this cell phone picture really does no justice!