Seitan - Make or Buy

WuTwo

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I've always bought seitan but it's not that cheap where I live. I have the Vegan Society recipe to make my own but before I do I wondered if anyone else has made it, and if so do they have any tips?
 

WuTwo

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My flour arrived today, and so did the tofu kit. Gorgeous box from The Tofu Box, with nigari, muslin cloth and instructions.

Looks like a busy weekend cooking for us :)
 
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My flour arrived today, and so did the tofu kit. Gorgeous box from The Tofu Box, with nigari, muslin cloth and instructions.

Looks like a busy weekend cooking for us :)

Hi @WuTwo what exactly is Seitan ? :)
 

WuTwo

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It comes out very firm, and you can slice it, roast it, fry it - whatever. Add herbs, spices and sauces for flavour. One of the lads at work makes his own and says it's great, so I thought I'd give it a go.

Also my friend who used to live in China says it's good, and her tastes in food run pretty much alongside mine (except for her ardent love of chilli, tabasco and the hottest sauces available).
 

michita

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My flour arrived today, and so did the tofu kit. Gorgeous box from The Tofu Box, with nigari, muslin cloth and instructions.

Looks like a busy weekend cooking for us :)
Do you have a cooking thermometer? The temperature and the timing are important. I think I got nigari from the same place. Good luck !! :) :)
 
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It comes out very firm, and you can slice it, roast it, fry it - whatever. Add herbs, spices and sauces for flavour. One of the lads at work makes his own and says it's great, so I thought I'd give it a go.

Also my friend who used to live in China says it's good, and her tastes in food run pretty much alongside mine (except for her ardent love of chilli, tabasco and the hottest sauces available).

I couldn't eat it and as for your friend who likes the hot stuff, no way lol :wideyed:
 

WuTwo

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Yeah, I'm a bit iffy but my husband will love it, and I'll pass some to my non-D son's partner. She's veggie leaning into vegan and will be glad to try it. She's an absolutely fantastic cook so if she likes it, she'll make some of her own and probably much nicer than mine :happy:

And I totally agree on the chilli and tabasco! My mate puts tabasco in her scrambled eggs at brekkie :wideyed:
 
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Yeah, I'm a bit iffy but my husband will love it, and I'll pass some to my non-D son's partner. She's veggie leaning into vegan and will be glad to try it. She's an absolutely fantastic cook so if she likes it, she'll make some of her own and probably much nicer than mine :happy:

And I totally agree on the chilli and tabasco! My mate puts tabasco in her scrambled eggs at brekkie :wideyed:


That's what you call a big wake up call in the morning o_O:wideyed:

My son is veggie and did try Vegan, but couldn't get on with the 'milk' substitute, so is still veggie, he enjoys cooking too. If it had has wheat or gluten in it I have to give it a wide birth :wideyed:
 

WuTwo

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Oddly I have reached the stage where cow's milk smells peculiar. I drink oat milk and love it. Gorgeous in my porridge (jumbo organic oats - very slow carbs for me and I add fresh berries).

I don't think I could drink a cow's breast milk - it seems a very strange concept now.
 

WuTwo

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I looked up the nutritional values of 100g seitan because I'm making it tomorrow (it seems so easy to make if you start with vital wheat gluten)

Nutrition summary:
Calories 130
Fat 2g
Carbs 4g
Protein 25g

I think it's so low carb because it's not actual flour that is used - it's the gluten (I bought it as vital wheat gluten). No matter where I look for food values they come out like this so I'm prepared to go with it. Store bought products made of seitan are usually higher in protein and lower in carb.

.
 

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WuTwo

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Half way through steaming and the "steaks" are gonna be huge! I do hope we have hearty appetites by tonight. Luckily you can keep them in the fridge (in the marinade) for several days, or else freeze them (in the marinade). This is a good thing because I have made four, and if we can eat more than one each plus veggies I'd be absolutely amazed.
 

WuTwo

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Well - wow! Seitan steaks are done and marinading. We're having one each tonight with fried onions, grilled tomatoes, fried mushies and chips! (Husband's choices - I'd have gone for a huge salad, but the art of compromise is alive and well in our house)

The others can stay in the marinade and go in the fridge for a couple of days.

I'll make more next weekend and make it well spicy, and form it into sausages. We both like spicy food.
 
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WuTwo

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@Mel dCP I used

https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/vegan-seitan-steak/

this recipe. It's essentially the same as the one in the Bosh book but they boil theirs in stock. I'd rather steam - keeps the flavour in veg so I've no reason to think it won't do the same here.

I got the vital wheat gluten from Amazon but I know they sell it in the Grape Tree, and probably Holland & Barrett.

I was deeply confused by the carb values given in her recipe but according to this:

https://www.esha.com/how-carbs-are-calculated-in-different-countries/

"Carbohydrate by Subtraction
In the United States carbohydrate is defined as “carbohydrate by subtraction”. This means that when a food is chemically analyzed in a lab, the grams of protein, fat, alcohol, water, and ash are subtracted from the total gram weight of the sample, and the amount left over is considered the carbohydrate value. Using this method, the carbohydrate value contains sugars, starch, and fiber, and may also contain small amounts of other compounds that do not fit specifically in one of the other assays. This carbohydrate definition is used in food composition tables and for nutrition labeling in the U.S. and Canada."

Therefore, I used the British values for insulin calculation and that worked well.
 
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LooperCat

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@Mel dCP I used

https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/vegan-seitan-steak/

this recipe. It's essentially the same as the one in the Bosh book but they boil theirs in stock. I'd rather steam - keeps the flavour in veg so I've no reason to think it won't do the same here.

I got the vital wheat gluten from Amazon but I know they sell it in the Grape Tree, and probably Holland & Barrett.

I was deeply confused by the carb values given in her recipe but according to this:

https://www.esha.com/how-carbs-are-calculated-in-different-countries/

"Carbohydrate by Subtraction
In the United States carbohydrate is defined as “carbohydrate by subtraction”. This means that when a food is chemically analyzed in a lab, the grams of protein, fat, alcohol, water, and ash are subtracted from the total gram weight of the sample, and the amount left over is considered the carbohydrate value. Using this method, the carbohydrate value contains sugars, starch, and fiber, and may also contain small amounts of other compounds that do not fit specifically in one of the other assays. This carbohydrate definition is used in food composition tables and for nutrition labeling in the U.S. and Canada."

Therefore, I used the British values for insulin calculation and that worked well.
That’s so useful, thank you.
 
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sudsandsoda

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I love seitan, I’ve tried to make it quite a few times now and it always has a strong herby flavour - a little like stuffing at Christmas. Tried adding all sorts but can’t cover it.

Shop bought stuff tastes so much better to me.

Which I could make it the same!
 

WuTwo

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You can choose the flavouring you add when making it, and also the flavours of the marinades. I used these ingredients:

For the vegan seitan steaks:
  • 1 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten
  • 1 cup cooked lentils (I used canned)
  • 6 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the vegan seitan steak marinade:
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave
I used the recipe here:

https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/vegan-seitan-steak/

She has other seitan recipes that use a different mix for the seitan. Tomorrow I'm making Tender steaks which we'll marinade and just pop in the fridge until mid-week. They freeze fine too.