Hail Seitan!

Yes. You read that right: Seitan. Wheat Meat. Fake meat. Mock Duck.

Yes, I eat it. It's good. Yes, I also eat Carnitas.

See, I'm not a vegetarian, but I do have meatless days. I used to cook this a LOT a while back, but got out of the habit. No reason for it, really- you can get a good large batch ready in an hour and let it sit ready in the fridge- once it's cooked, it's nothing but a quick sauté and it's done! And you can sub it for quite a bit. You can also make it taste however you want, so you can make it your own very easily.

This version I made to be beefy and rich; it's the kind of vegetarian food that reminds me that it's not all carrots and lentils. This is stick-to-your-ribs stuff, here!

You can get the vital wheat gluten and nutritional yeast at any health food store. When I lived in the city, you could get both at larger supermarkets.

You'll also notice that I use salt-free broth. I prefer low-sodium/ sodium free ingredients because I can then add the salt how I want. Keep in mind that the broth will also infuse more flavor and salt into the Seitan, so you might find you need less salt than you think. Experiment here.

Recipe updated 8/5/2012 


"Beefy" Seitan

For the Seitan:

• 3.75 cups Wheat Gluten
• 3/8 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons each onion and garlic power
• heavy pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 5 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 oz lemon juice
• 5 tablespoons reduced sodium Soy Sauce

For the broth:

• 4 cups veggie broth
• one cup of soy sauce
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 cloves of garlic
• dash on onion powder

Method:

1. Combine ingredients for the broth and start to heat
2. Combine all dry ingredients for the Seitan in a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, combine all wet ingredients for the Seitan (you should have a full cup of liquid.)
4. Add wet to dry and combine until just mixed. 
5. Knead dough until everything is combined; dough should be mildly dry (if it's too wet, you'll get soggy Seitan. And no one wants soggy Seitan).
6. Separate dough into two logs.
7. Add both logs to simmering broth and cook covered at just a simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, turning occasionally.

And there you go. Take it out, drain, slice, sauté and serve. Or take it out, drain, slice and refrigerate. Whichever.

If you find you want a less-dense product, try adding a little oil to the dough or adding a tad more liquid.