SEITAN

[Bowwowmeow]

Basic Seitan

Seitan is made from wheat gluten and is quite high in protein and low in fat. With the right materials it is relatively easy to make.

You can store extras in the refrigerator in the broth you used to cook it. It will keep for about a week and a half.

Ingredients


1 gallon water
1 chunk of ginger
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1 cup gluten flour (also known as high gluten flour,
or 80% gluten flour)
1 to 2 cups warm water
Makes 2 1/2 pounds.

Method


In a large pot begin boiling the gallon of water, along with the ginger and soy sauce.
Mix the gluten with 1 to 2 cups warm water, mixing it with your hands until it becomes a sticky blob.
Run cold water over it and knead it underwater for a few minutes, changing the water when it gets cloudy. If the gluten you use is fresh, the dough will hold together. If the gluten is less fresh, it will break apart as you knead it. If this happens, pour the water through a wire strainer, then collect the pieces you strained out and press them back into the original blob.
When the water boils, cut pieces of gluten about the size of a finger and drop them into the pot. Cook for 1 1/2-2 hours.
Seitan can be used as a meat substitute in any recipe that calls for meat... i.e. stir fry, spaghetti sauce, chili, "meat" stew, etc.

[Bowwowmeow]

"Chicken" Style Seitan


3 cups vital gluten flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 tbsp sage
1 tbsp rosemary
1 tbsp thyme
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
3 1/3 cup cups hot water
1/4 cup soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos


Mix dry ingredients together. Stir the water and soy sauce together, then add to the dry ingredients, stirring quickly and thoroughly. Knead lightly. Form into a roll and let rest about 15 minutes, while you prepare the broth.


12 cups water
1 tbsp sage
1 tbsp rosemary
1 tbsp thyme
4 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 large onion, sliced
3 bay leaves

Mix ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Drop 1/3” thick and slightly flattened slices of the gluten mixture into the broth, one at a time, keeping the water boiling. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.
Remove the “steaks” from the broth and use them in all kinds of recipes to take the place of meat. These freeze well.
Makes 18-24 steaks, depending on how you cut them.

[Bowwowmeow]

"Beef" Style Seitan


3 cups vital gluten flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
3 1/3 cup cups hot water
1/4 cup soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos


Mix dry ingredients together. Stir the water and soy sauce together, then add to the dry ingredients, stirring quickly and thoroughly. Knead lightly. Form into a roll and let rest about 15 minutes, while you prepare the broth.


12 cups water
1/3 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup soy sauce
1 large onion, sliced
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
3 bay leaves

Mix ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Drop 1/3” thick and slightly flattened slices of the gluten mixture into the broth, one at a time, keeping the water boiling. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.
Remove the “steaks” from the broth and use them in all kinds of recipes to take the place of meat. These freeze well.
Makes 18-24 steaks, depending on how you cut them.

[Bowwowmeow]

Seitan Pastrami

8-10 servings
preheat oven to 325 degrees
1 1/2 cups instant gluten flour (vital wheat gluten)
1/4 cup Kal Nutritional Yeast, Red Star Vegetarian support formula, or other tasty nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 cup chickpea flour or soy flour
1/4 cup fine bulger, fully soaked, OPTIONAL for texture
2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon (or more!) whole black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 cup cold water
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon salt

Place the gluten flour, yeast flakes, and the seasonings in a large mixing bowl, and stir them together. Mix the liquids in a measuring cup or small bowl. Pour this liquid into the dry ingredients, and mix them thoroughly. If there is still flour around the edges, add a small amount of additional water (1 or 2 tablespoons only!). You should now have a large, firm, spongy mass in the bowl.
Knead the gluten directly in the mixing bowl for about a minute, just to blend (do not add any more flour). Longer kneading will change the texture, and you may want to experiment with this later. Form the gluten into one smooth log, about 6 to 8 inches long. Wrap the log tightly in silver foil, twist the ends up so you have a tight package looking something like a big sausage. Place on a dry baking sheet. If you don't want the foil to be in contact with your food, wrap the gluten tightly in a piece of parchment paper before you wrap it in the foil.
Bake the "pastrami" for 1 1/2 hours. When done, unwrap the seitan, transfer it to a cooling rack, and let it cool thoroughly. When completely cool, wrap the seitan tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge overnight or longer before eating. Slice into paper-thin rounds.

[Bubbles]

I have a copy of The Gentle Persuasion Cookbook, by Brook Katz, somewhere, which is full of seitan recipes

[dreamer]

Seitan & Collard Stir-Fry

I just made this today...I had bought some bean sprouts at a health food place and was going to buy some mushrooms to put in this dish, but realized that I had some organic collards that I needed to use, hence this "thrown together" and VERY tasty dish:chef: :eat: :yum:

water
sesame & canola oil
two cloves garlic, minced/pressed
dash vegan worchestire sauce
one small bunch collards, destemmed and chopped
8 oz. traditional (White Wave) seitan--see ingredients below if using your own freshly made seitan--chopped into bite-size peices
5 oz. fresh mung bean sprouts

Place water (about 1/2 cup), garlic, splashes (maybe more of a swig;) ) of sesame oil, canola oil, and worchestire sauce in a large cast iron Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, then add chopped collards. Reduce heat to medium and allow collards to cook until about half done, then add chopped seitan and cover. Stir well and allow to cook until collards are almost done, stirring occasionally. Add bean sprouts, stirring again, and allow to cook (covered) until bean sprouts are done. Serve with brown rice. (I started the quick-cooking rice--12 minutes, then added the bean sprouts about halfway through the rice cooking time, then once the rice was done I added it to the seitan/collards mixture and stirred it up b4 serving it.)

[Sorry I'm lazy, I buy the pre-made stuff and am not good at keeping up with measurements--hence "about 1/2 cup" and "small bunch collards":rolleyes: ]

White wave seitan ingredients:
Water, Wheat Gluten, Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Wheat, Salt), Garbanzo Bean Flour, Soy Flour, Ginger Oil, Aquaresin Garlic.

[Oracl]

I tried seitan recently and it made me feel a bit queasy. :( The texture was too much like the texture of meat, which I can still just remember - I never liked meat much when I was a kid! :no: I guess it's a great food for people who like that chewy feel when they eat. :agree:

[Bowwowmeow]

I don't think I've ever had seitan, except for the little fake bits they put in the fried rice at the vegetarian Chinese restaurant I like. They don't bother me very much, but the seitan I've seen for sale at the market doesn't look like that.
I'm looking for ways to fix collards, though, so I might try this.

[KRITER]

PRAISE SEITAN

[Keykeypie]

I tried seitan recently and it made me feel a bit queasy. :( The texture was too much like the texture of meat, which I can still just remember - I never liked meat much when I was a kid! :no: I guess it's a great food for people who like that chewy feel when they eat. :agree:

I know what you mean Oracle but I buy & eat seitan all the time....I've
found that anything tastes good if it's mixed with just a little tahini. The seitan I eat I mix with cut up green bell peppers & mushrooms fried in olive oil
....oh and sometimes i add red kidney beans too....it's really delicious.:yum:

[thevegantwins]

I like seitan especially homemade. I know that sometimes, it is chewy but my favorite is when it is crispy. There is a health food store in NYC called Lifethyme and they make a delicious meal called Southern Fried Seitan. :yum: I always pick up a batch when I'm there.

[dreamer]

I put a bit more precise amounts in my recipe for those of you who might try it...including how many ounces the packaged seitan is and what ingredients are in it for those of you who make your own.

As far as the texture, I know it's a bit like meat, but it seems much more tender than any meat to me and I know an animal didn't die for it, so it doesn't bother me at all;)

I also love collards, so I've been trying to figure out different ways of using them (especially since they have such a good nutrient profile) and really loved this--definitely better than the mushrooms I was thinking of using instead of collards:)

[Oracl]

I've found that anything tastes good if it's mixed with just a little tahini. :yum:
Ha ha, you are The Tahini Queen, Keykeypie! :princess: :D

[Oracl]

I know an animal didn't die for it, so it doesn't bother me at all ;)
Exactly right, no animal was exploited or died, and this is really the only thing to worry about! :agree:

[thevegantwins]

Easy Seitan Sausage

This is the easiest seitan recipe and is great sliced on sandwiches, whole in a hot dog bun or eaten 'as is.' You can play around with the spices. I even added pesto to one version.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried marjoram or oregano
1/4 teaspoon cumin
3/4 cup cold water
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Bragg's liquid aminos or vegetarian Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
3 cloves of mashed garlic

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F. In a large mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Mix the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk well. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry. Mix well then knead for several minutes. Form into one large log or several smaller sausage size ones depending on your desired usage for the dish. Wrap in aluminum foil. Bake for 90 minutes. Unwrap and let cool at room temperature. Once cooled, wrap in foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate.

[thevegantwins]

I haven't tried this recipe yet but it looks mighty good. The photo is taken from the blog to give people here an idea of what this dish will look like. The description below is from the blog as well. I highly recommend people to check out this blog for great recipes with a focus on healthy eating.

Barbecued Seitan Ribz

Like Veggeroni, this seitan is baked dry rather than boiled. The results are a little spongier than Veggeroni, less dense, but I think the texture is perfect for absorbing the flavor of the barbecue sauce. You'll be amazed at how easy this recipe comes together using your favorite bottled sauce.

1 cup vital wheat gluten
2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons tahini or other nut butter
1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
1 tablespoon soy sauce
about 1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly spray an 8x8 baking dish with canola oil. Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix the water with the nut butter, Liquid Smoke, and soy sauce and add it to the dry ingredients. Stir to mix well and then knead lightly in the bowl for a couple of minutes.

Put the dough into the baking dish and flatten it so that it evenly fills the pan. Take a sharp knife and cut it into 8 strips; then turn the pan and cut those strips in half to form 16 pieces.

Put it in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. While it's cooking prepare your grill.

Remove it from the oven and carefully re-cut each strip, going over each cut to make sure that the ribz will pull apart easily later. Generously brush the top with barbecue sauce. Take it to the grill and invert the whole baking dish onto the grill (or use a large spatula to lift the seitan out, placing it sauce-side down on the grill). Brush the top of the seitan with more sauce.

Watch it closely to make sure that it doesn't burn. When sufficiently brown on one side, turn over and cook the other side, adding more sauce, if necessary. When done, remove to a platter and cut or pull apart the individual ribs to serve.

[my3labs]

That looks really good. I've been in a food rut lately and really need to try some new things.

[thevegantwins]

:chef: I came up with this the other night when I wanted comfort food. Very tasty and filling.

Seitan Stew

Ingredients:

1lb prepared seitan of choice (I used Ray's wheat-meat), drained
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 potato, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 cup green beans, roughly chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped kale or spinach
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup soymilk
1/4 cup chickpea flour
1 teaspoon vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat some olive oil in a large casserole pan. Add the onion and garlic and saute until softened. Throw in about 1/4 cup water. Add vegetables, except the kale/spinach. Place the chickpea flour in a bowl and add the seitan pieces. They should be in thin strips. Lightly coat the seitan in the chickpea flour. Add the seitan to the pan. Add the soymilk and spices. Cook for about 30 minutes, adding water or soymilk as needed to keep the consistency as a thick stew. Once the vegetables are softened, it is done. At the end of cooking, add the kale/spinach.

[thevegantwins]

I made those seitan ribz today for the first time. Oh my, they were delicious. And easy to prepare. I didn't have an outdoor grill available so I used the stovetop cast iron grill pan and it came out perfectly. I used Annie's Organic BBQ sauce.

[Bowwowmeow]

Corned Seitan


Dry Ingredients

2 cups vital wheat gluten flour
3 Tbs. granulated onion, or 2 Tbs. onion powder
2 Tbs. smoked paprika
2 Tbs. whole fennel seed (coarsely ground)
2 Tbs. whole caraway seed (coarsely ground)
1 Tbs. salt
1 tsp. ground cloves
1-1/2 tsp. ground black pepper


Wet Ingredients

1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbs. molasses
1 Tbs. vinegar
1/2 tsp. liquid smoke


Cheese cloth (one double thick 24-inch by 16-inch piece)
2 - 6-inch pieces of string


Instructions

In a large pot, bring 1 gallon of water to a simmer.

In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten, onion powder, paprika, fennel, caraway, salt, cloves and black pepper.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the vegetable broth, oil, molasses, and vinegar.

Combine wet ingredients with the dry ingredients.

Form into a 5-inch by 8-inch loaf.

Place corned beef loaf on cheese cloth and roll-up like a big flat rectangle tootsie roll (not to tight). Tie each end with a piece of string.

Place in simmering water, cover, and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Take roast out of liquid and remove cheese cloth. Serve warm, or allow to cool before storing in refrigerator.

[LetsEat]

Well I went and bought the wheat gluten flour. Now for the energy to actually do it. It looks tiring like a huge job.

I bought it actually for burgers as it is called for in several burger recipes by Louise Haggler in her cookbook meatless burgers.

I haven't tried any yet, as I still have some frozen vegan burgers and I've been lazy lately. They look easy peasy tho which is why I bought it.

The tofu/hemp one looks divine.