Getting Seitanic

It all started rather innocently over on my Twitter timeline the other day with a simple tweet:

After that tweet, I got more than a few replies asking me for a decent seitan recipe. Some of the replies seemed a bit apprehensive about the prospect of homemade seitan, and a few of you mentioned to me in directs that you’d tried to make seitan only to see it flop.

Well, I get where you’re coming from.

I think myself a competent and experienced cook, yet, a few years ago, when I tried to make seitan one weekend, I was disappointed to end up with a spongy, inedible mass that had expanded to epic proportions in the pot. After that, I went back to the store-bought stuff, largely because I was super-busy, and didn’t really have time to experiment with new recipes. But over this past summer, I decided to give seitan a shot again, using the seitan “ribz” recipe from FatFree Vegan. The recipe turned out great, and was really trivial to put together. On top of that, guests at a get-together we had really loved the “ribz.” My seitanic frustrations vanquished, I returned to seitan cookery, and met with pretty good results.

Since then, I’ve made a few different kinds of seitan, from really simple recipes that provide a base upon which you can easily build to more specialized kinds of seitan like fake “chicken” cutlets and vegan salami (the latter two recipes come from Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Vegan Feast issues, all of which are well worth her modest asking price). Lately, though, I’ve been using a seitan recipe that comes from one of our Tofu Hound Press authors, Joy Tiezno. Her forthcoming book, Cook, Eat, Thrive contains some of the most original and innovative recipes we’ve seen, many of which build upon basic ingredients like this seitan in compelling (and delicious ways).

This recipe is called “Basic Seitan,” and the title fits: think of this as a palette awaiting your own culinary artistry. This could include adding things to the recipe itself (more on this in a sec) to preparing the finished seitan with sauces or with a variety of cooking methods. I find this recipe to be fairly firm, maybe a little softer than the White Wave seitan in the blue package that’s available in the USA. Read after the recipe for some suggested additions.

Basic Seitan – by Joy Tienzo

Seitan is like a koi fish; it grows to fit its body of water. For spongier seitan, place just a few pieces in a large pot. For firmer stuff, put several pieces in a smaller one.

• 2 ¼ cups vital wheat gluten
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• 1 ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, grated or pressed

For the Broth:

• 8-10 cups water
• 1/3 cup soy sauce, or 2 teaspoons sea salt

In a large bowl, combine the wheat gluten and nutritional yeast. In a measuring cup, stir together the water, soy sauce, and garlic. Make a well in the dry ingredients, and pour in the liquid. Mix with a spoon or spatula until the mixture firms up, then knead with your hands for a minute or two. Set aside for a moment while making the broth.

In a large stock pot off of the stove, combine the water and soy sauce or salt.

Shape the gluten mixture into a log, and cut into 6-8 pieces. Gently place in the broth, and bring to a low simmer on the stovetop. Partially cover, and simmer 1-1 ½ hours, turning over at least once. The seitan will expand significantly and may look very spongy; it will firm as it cooks.

Allow to cool completely in the broth. The seitan can be refrigerated for up to 10 days.

Pretty simple, right? If this is your first time making this recipe, I’d suggest trying it as-is and seeing how you like it. Then, branch out into the experimental territory. In testing the recipe, Ms. Veganorama) suggested adding 2 tbsp soy flour to the dry mix for texture, along with dashes of onion powder, garlic powder, dried parsley, and other seasonings. She also added olive oil to the wet mix, and a 2 tbsp extra water. I’ve also made the recipe with lots more garlic, some nut butter in place of the olive oil, and chickpea flour, which gave it a softer texture that you may or may not like. Regardless, there’s plenty of room here for you to improvise as you see fit, and to come up with a seitan that can be flavored in a way that suits your needs.

Apart from the satisfaction of doing this yourself, making your own seitan is significantly cheaper than buying it in the store. This recipe makes a big batch that costs probably less than a quarter what the store-bought stuff does. Give it a try — you probably won’t go back to buying it at the store. Next time I’m in the mood to talk seitan, I’ll pass on the baked version I’ve been making. Until then, enjoy!