Make Your Own Seitan: How To
What even IS seitan?
Some of you might be wondering. Seitan, often referred to as "wheat meat" because of its similarity in texture to the real thing, is made with wheat gluten, and -- though tofu is still king -- it is gaining popularity with veggies and vegans across the country. Back when I lived in Ithaca, Susie's Seitan was the best in town . . . but after a while, we just had to know HOW this delicious substitute was made.
This recipe is Stephen's. He has a few foods that he just loves to make, and seitan is one of them. I decided to post this recipe today (again, from the METHOD archives), as one of my favorite bloggers -- Heidi from 101 Cookbooks -- recently posted an awesome heirloom beans & seitan recipe. The comment discussion had some people asking how to make their own wheat meat.
NOTE: The seasoning measurements are really up to you, but I've provided guidelines. He never makes two logs of the stuff the same.
What you'll need . . .
- 1-1/2 cup wheat gluten (found in the bulk foods section)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 large basil leaves, chopped
- 3/4 cup cold water
- 4 teaspoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons vegetable broth
Method . . .
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Put all dry ingredients (as well as basil and garlic) in a large bowl and mix together.
In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients (make sure to add the tomato paste last and then whisk it into the mixture). - Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with your hand -- until you can knead it like dough.
- Knead until fully incorporated.
- Roll into a log shape and wrap in 2 layers of aluminum foil -- twisting the ends to seal.
- Bake for 90 minutes.
I don't have a great photo of the final result . . . but it looks a little something like the photo below. Use seitan on sandwiches, in salads, or just eat it alone. And if you come up with a tasty combination of flavors -- let me know! I'd love to highlight it on (never home)maker!
Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever <3
5 comments:
Yum. I might have to give this a try. Even though I was a vegetarian for 10 years, I never made it. I do love to eat it though!
Just found you guys via The Kitchn, and am LOVING the recipes. Can't wait to go home and cook. We've made seitan before, the usual gluten boiled in a soy-based broth, but this recipe is going to have so much more flavor. And much better than buying Tofurky for sandwiches. Thanks!!
Samantha -- this kind is wayyy better than the boiled variety :) It'll change your life!
ooooooh need to try this!! Chris + I are new to seitan and like it so far. I'm sure this is MUCH better than store bought. We eat tempeh a few times a month but stay away from tofu as much as possible. Can't wait to try this out!
I'm going to have to try this also! We don't eat tofu or tempeh (damn soy sensitivities) so I just figured "fake meat" was out for us. I never knew what seitan actually was. Because of other sensitivities, I'll prob use some of the substitutions that you referenced in your "Veggie behemoth: The Lover" post (http://www.neverhomemaker.com/2010/01/veggie-behemoth-lover.html). I have a question, in the lover post, you said you used squash puree to replace the tomato paste - OK, check - and you used honey to replace the ketchup - wait, what? So, just in case my question didn't come through my awesome cleverness :), what happened to the ketchup?
Post a Comment