Seitan is the meat replacement you have been looking for. It’s incredibly easy to make, requires few ingredients and is endlessly versatile.
This marvellously adaptable product is nothing new, it’s creation dates back around 1500 years from China and is widely popular as a meat substitute globally today.
This is the basis of many Seitan based recipes, have a look around our site to see more.
On its own this work best if you slice it up, fry it and dip it in to the sauce of your choice. If you slice it finer than show in the picture below and fry it in a little soy sauce or liquid aminos then you have kebab filling (add all the salad of course!) B prefers ketchup, I’m a sriracha guy. Oh just thinking about it makes me want to… *pops off to the kitchen*
Where was I? nom, nom, nom…
Seitan basic dough
2
portions10
minutes1
hour1
hour25
minutesThis is Seitan dough basic recipe, best cut into slices and fried as dippers for a phenomenal snack!
Ingredients
- Dry ingredients
130 grams wheat gluten
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp onion granules
0.5 tsp garlic powder
- Wet ingredients
120 ml vegan stock (we use bouillon powder)
60 ml light soy sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
- Broth
500 ml vegan stock
500 ml boiling water
60 ml light soy sauce
Directions
- Making the dough
- Get all the ingredients ready and leave a good space on the work surface to kneed it when it’s all mixed together.
- Combine the wheat gluten, nutritional yeast and garlic powder in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon until the texture is consistent
- Make a well in the centre
- Add all the wet ingredients to the well and mix with the wooden spoon until it forms a reddish/brownish dough and all the dry ingredients have been absorbed.
- The broth
- Boil a kettle and add 500ml water and 500ml stock with 60ml soy sauce to a large cooking pot.
- Bring to the boil
- Reduce to a simmer then leave.
- Kneading the dough
- Tip the dough on to the work surface then flatten it out with your hand. Fold it top to bottom then gently knead then flatten out
- Fold again from left to right and again gently kneed, then flatten out
- Fold once more then knead and form into a smooth loaf.
- Cut the loaf into three equal pieces with a kitchen knife
- Now flatten each piece with the palm of your hand until they are as flat as you can make them. They will spring back a bit, this is normal!
- Cooking the dough
- Add each piece to the broth.
- Male sure the broth is not bubbling, if it is then turn down the heat.rnOver cooked seitan is really tough and unpleasant! rnCook for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes turn over each piece then cook for another 30 minutes.
- After the hour turn off the heat then leave to stand in the broth for 15 minutes.
- Preperation for frying
- Take the cooked pieces from the broth then using kitchen towel squeeze all the excess moisture out of them. Be careful they’re hot!
- Now using a kitchen knife, slice each block into strips between 5-10mins
- Frying
- Heat up 1 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan until hot
- Add the strips and fry until golden brown in one side
- Repeat until all the strips are lovely and browned and slightly crispy on the outside.
- Serve with your favourite selection of dipping sauces
- Wish you’d made more….
Notes
- You can also cube the dough’s and oven bake at 160 °C (fan assisted or 180 °C regular) for 15 minutes or until crispy on the outside. This works well in recipes calling for a meaty substitute.
Approximately what would be the total weight of this batch before boiling?
Here in the US I can find raw uncooked seitan. I am hoping to use them to try this recipe.
I will let you know how it turns out to be.
Thanks!
Song Hong
Hi SongHong, this recipe is for making your own seitan from scratch, we haven’t tried it with pre-made seitan dough before, but the approximate weight of the dough before cooking is 330g.
Wooo! I normally don’t knead mine as much, it gives it a lighter texture. I’m going to try your method out just to see the difference.
Also, if you slice seitan up thin and fry it in some olive oil and liquid aminos, it’s a passable salt beef alternative for putting on bagels (with mustard and pickles). Yuuuum.
Hiya! Thanks for the aminos tip, I used to love a New Yorker bagel, trying that as soon as I get back home! Let us know how it turns out for you, and happy new year from Superhappywinfood! X
Just tried salt beef Newyorker sandwich with mustard, mayo and pickles. Al you are a genious thank you! Om nom nom.