Enhancing Homemade Seitan
11-16-2019, 08:33 AM
#1
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Mendocino Coast, CA
Posts: 4,893
Enhancing Homemade Seitan
The holidays are upon us and I know that there are some of you out there that are wondering what to feed your vegan family and guests, not just for the main meal, but for lunch, appetizers, etc. A while back I posted a homemade seitan recipe to use in making burgers. I'm not going to repost that. You can easily find it here, or another seitan recipe online. However, I would like to give out some tips on making your seitan more tasty.
You can add all kinds of things to the basic seitan recipe. When you add veggies that have been chopped finely, they help to create pockets in the vital wheat gluten dough that give the seitan a more meaty texture...similar to ground beef, or pork. For example, my basic go-to recipe that I use at home adds garbanzo beans that have been pulsed in the food processor to make a rough crumble. I also add a handful of mushrooms and a few cloves of garlic and a half an onion to the processor before pulsing. Occasionally, I'll add a broken up carrot, chopped up celery stalk, or a couple of slices of bell paper. (I really like the mushrooms...they add a deep, savory flavor.) When you chop things up, don't over process them. They should be around 1/8-1/16" in diameter so that they add some texture to the finished product.
Another thing I like to do is to really spice up the mixture up. Seitan seems to lose some flavor when it is steamed, so don't be afraid to add a little extra flavors. I like smoked paprika, cumin, liquid smoke, garlic powder, salt and pepper. I also like to use some spiced veggie broth, or even a bit of tomato sauce, instead of the water called for. You can taste the mixture as you go. (Remember, it's not raw meat, so it won't kill ya to taste a pinch.)
You don't have to make just burgers with seitan. You can make all kinds of things with it. This Thanksgiving, I'm make seitan mini meatballs in a yummy Spanish sauce for an appetizer. Taco, or chili meat might also be great. Just remember, don't try to short cut things by not steaming your patties, or meatballs first, before using them in a recipe.
I hope this helps. If you have any questions about my seitan ideas, please post here.
~C
You can add all kinds of things to the basic seitan recipe. When you add veggies that have been chopped finely, they help to create pockets in the vital wheat gluten dough that give the seitan a more meaty texture...similar to ground beef, or pork. For example, my basic go-to recipe that I use at home adds garbanzo beans that have been pulsed in the food processor to make a rough crumble. I also add a handful of mushrooms and a few cloves of garlic and a half an onion to the processor before pulsing. Occasionally, I'll add a broken up carrot, chopped up celery stalk, or a couple of slices of bell paper. (I really like the mushrooms...they add a deep, savory flavor.) When you chop things up, don't over process them. They should be around 1/8-1/16" in diameter so that they add some texture to the finished product.
Another thing I like to do is to really spice up the mixture up. Seitan seems to lose some flavor when it is steamed, so don't be afraid to add a little extra flavors. I like smoked paprika, cumin, liquid smoke, garlic powder, salt and pepper. I also like to use some spiced veggie broth, or even a bit of tomato sauce, instead of the water called for. You can taste the mixture as you go. (Remember, it's not raw meat, so it won't kill ya to taste a pinch.)
You don't have to make just burgers with seitan. You can make all kinds of things with it. This Thanksgiving, I'm make seitan mini meatballs in a yummy Spanish sauce for an appetizer. Taco, or chili meat might also be great. Just remember, don't try to short cut things by not steaming your patties, or meatballs first, before using them in a recipe.
I hope this helps. If you have any questions about my seitan ideas, please post here.
~C
11-17-2019, 01:52 PM
#2
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: PA
Posts: 10,703
I do hope more people try to move out of the routine and start to experiment with different products more. Just like cooking meat, creating tasty food is experimental. Seitan is such a versatile animal flesh alternative. Thanks for the ideas. I love to use seitan in stir-fries.
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