Friday, February 22, 2008

Seitan

1 cup vital wheat gluten flour
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 cup vegetable broth
4 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 to 2 cloves garlic, pressed
8 cups cold water
2 to 3 vegetable bouillon cubes
1/4 cup soy sauce

Mix together the vital wheat gluten flour and nutritional yeast. Combine the 1/2 cups broth, soy sauce, olive oil and pressed garlic, and add to the dry ingredients. Stir to combine (I used a wooden spoon), then turn out onto a cutting board or the counter and knead for 3 to 4 minutes. The dough should be elastic. You don't need to flour your hands or the cutting board to knead it. It will be damp, but it will stick to itself.

Divide the dough into 3 pieces, and shape/press/pull/knead them to shape them into kind of flattened "cutlets", for lack of a better description.

Combine the cold water, bouillon cubes, and the other 1/4 cup soy sauce in a large pot. Add the dough pieces. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, but watch it the whole time. You need to lower the heat as soon as it boils, otherwise the seitan will get puffy and filled with air pockets. As soon as it boils, turn the heat down to a low simmer.

Simmer for 60 minutes, then turn the heat off, and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. Remove it from the liquid, then slice it into pieces as desired. It can be stored in the fridge in some of the cooking liquid.

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