Foolproof simmered seitan, perfect meat replacement
Seitan is an excellent dish for anyone interested in replacing meat with something healthier. As a vegetarian I find myself wondering how I can elevate my to make it tastier - enter seitan. Seitan is cooked wheat gluten that takes on a lot of the flavors of the seasoning of your choice.
I was introduced to seitan by my fiance, boyfriend at the time. I enjoy Thai food and never imagined that they had something called mock duck or vegetarian duck. So when he would order his and I would order mine (chicken) I would be so jealous of his dish. Now that I no longer eat meat, mock duck is my go-to at Thai of vegetarian Chinese stores.
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Seitan, also known as vital wheat gluten, is made from washing flour until the starch is removed and gluten remains. Seitan is a Japanese word and this meat replacement is popular in Asian countries, and often eaten by Buddhists.
I enjoy seitan because it contains a whopping 75g of protein per half a cup! Yup, you get more protein in seitan than you would in a steak, You can literally get your days worth of protein in one sitting.
You can buy seitan already made, in the form of wheat flour or the form of vital wheat gluten. This meat replacement takes on the flavors of any dish.
Health Benefits
Seitan is best for those who are trying to avoid soy, beans, or highly processed foods. As mentioned before, seitan is high in protein. It is also a great way to add vitamins like B-12 in the form of nutritional yeast.
Seitan contains 75g of protein, more than steak!
It's important that you mix all your dry ingredients before adding in the water. Otherwise, your gluten will have sections of different flavors. Also paprika and curry are pretty colorful, so you may end up with sections marbled lines of color. Trust me, I've made the mistake.
Mushrooms and onions are my go-to ingredients when it comes to forming a broth. You can also add garlic, leeks, celery, you name it. Anything that tickles your fancy. I ended up adding some fresh thyme to balance the broth a bit.
Pro Tip
- Make sure that your broth is shallow - and keep your burner on low. Too much water will cause your seitan to break apart
- Flip your seitan every 15 minutes so that both sides are cooked evenly
Details
3 servings
10 minutes
1 hour
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Ingredients
- The Basic Seitan
1 tsp of curry powder
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of smoked paprika
½ tsp Italian seasoning blend (optional)
½ tsp of tsp of salt
1 cup of vital wheat gluten
¾ a cup of warm water
- Broth
4 cups of water
3 mushrooms, sliced
¼ an onion, sliced
Directions
- Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well
- Add the water to the mixture and begin to combine by hand - add more water if needed. Ensure that all dry good ingredients are formed into a firm ball
- Kneed for about 2-3 minutes
- Bring broth water to a boil, add in salt, mushrooms, onions and any other ingredients to flavor your broth.
- Bring broth to low heat (simmer), cut the seitan into 3 - 4 balls so that the broth penetrates. Add to the broth.
- Cook for an hour, flipping the seitan every 15 minutes to ensure that it isn't sticking to the bottom of the pot
- Remove from pot and let cool.
Once your seitan is ready, you can eat it as is or use it for other dishes. Add to your Efo Riro, or Potato Greens.
Ingredients
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