Seitan (say-tahn) is a protein substitute suitable for vegetarians. It's made from wheat gluten- the protein from the endosperm of the wheat berry, making it an excellent source of protein--23g per 1/4 cup. That's pretty impressive! Seitan is commonly referred to as "wheat meat" but in our household we call it "wheat bajji". (A bajji is a traditional Indian appetizer, made by dipping any variety of vegetable in a batter and frying it.) I use Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten which we find at our local Marc's for an incredible price! This recipe can be improvised by using your favorite spices, but this gives an idea to get you started. It's super easy to make and is so versatile. We are always creating new recipe variations, and eat it at least a couple times each week.
1 cup vital wheat gluten
2 Tbs nutritional yeast (optional)
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1tsp veggie broth powder
1/4 tsp salt
1tsp onion flakes
*Spice measurements are approximate. Feel free to adjust according to your taste preference.
Mix together all ingredients to incorporate the spices.
Add 3/4 cup water. Use your (clean) hand to mix together. It will be sticky/rubbery, kind of like chewing gum. Knead for a couple minutes.
Now, to cook it. This, again, can be done in a variety of ways. Here are our two favorites.
1. Heat large frying pan on medium heat. Pour enough oil in to cover bottom of pan (will help prevent them from sticking too much to the pan). Use kitchen scissors to cut off pieces of seitan into the pan, being careful not to splatter the oil. The pieces will puff up and expand as they cook. If they stick to each other, that's ok. Cover pan with lid and allow to fry & steam until golden brown. Use fork or other utensil that makes sense, to flip each over and continue to cook on low with lid on, until golden brown.
OR
2. Bring pot of water to a boil. Add seasonings to the water (soy sauce, veggie broth, paprika, etc). Form dough into log or a few larger chunks. Boil seitan for 30min (chunks) or 1 hour (single log). It will expand when cooking, so make sure you use a big enough pot. Cooked seitan can be stored in the broth in the fridge. Otherwise, drain it, chop it up and use for your recipe.
1 cup vital wheat gluten
2 Tbs nutritional yeast (optional)
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1tsp veggie broth powder
1/4 tsp salt
1tsp onion flakes
*Spice measurements are approximate. Feel free to adjust according to your taste preference.
Mix together all ingredients to incorporate the spices.
Add 3/4 cup water. Use your (clean) hand to mix together. It will be sticky/rubbery, kind of like chewing gum. Knead for a couple minutes.
Now, to cook it. This, again, can be done in a variety of ways. Here are our two favorites.
1. Heat large frying pan on medium heat. Pour enough oil in to cover bottom of pan (will help prevent them from sticking too much to the pan). Use kitchen scissors to cut off pieces of seitan into the pan, being careful not to splatter the oil. The pieces will puff up and expand as they cook. If they stick to each other, that's ok. Cover pan with lid and allow to fry & steam until golden brown. Use fork or other utensil that makes sense, to flip each over and continue to cook on low with lid on, until golden brown.
OR
2. Bring pot of water to a boil. Add seasonings to the water (soy sauce, veggie broth, paprika, etc). Form dough into log or a few larger chunks. Boil seitan for 30min (chunks) or 1 hour (single log). It will expand when cooking, so make sure you use a big enough pot. Cooked seitan can be stored in the broth in the fridge. Otherwise, drain it, chop it up and use for your recipe.
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