Homemade Seitan (Mock Meat) Recipe

I love tofu, gluten, and seitan (fake meat). I really could be a vegetarian if it I wanted to but I just don’t want to restrict my options and feel guilty if I ever have to choose meat. If I’m at a restaurant and the only choice for vegetarians was a deep fried gluten in sweet n sour sauce, then I’d rather choose the baked chicken, you know what I mean? The vegetarian option is not always healthier.

Minor fact: I used to be a pescatarian back in college for 3 years. What does that mean? I was an omnivore whose only source of meat was from sea creatures. I did it as a personal challenge more than anything, but ended up gaining weight! My school didn’t serve fish until Friday so I ended up stuffing myself with breads and cheeses all the time. It wasn’t healthy so I went back to eating meat and am quite happy.

I am contemplating whether I want to do another personal challenge thing again…I’ve got to think about this. Well, must finish my chicken and tuna in the cupboard before I start anything new.

Anyway, here’s a wonderful recipe on how to make mock meat. It has tons of protein, very little carbs, and very little fat.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine gluten flour and dry spices in a medium sized bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, mix soy sauce and 3/4 cup broth or water.

3. Add liquid to dry ingredients and stir gently to combine. Once mixture is well combined, knead seitan 10-15 times, allow to sit for 5 minutes, then knead a few more times.

4. Separate your ball of gluten into three or four smaller chunks. Gently stretch each piece into a flat cutlet, around 3/4 inch thick. Seitan will expand when cooking, so you’ll want to start out with somewhat thin cutlets. Don’t worry about any holes that may form in the gluten.

5. Add seitan to 4 cups of broth in a large pot and bring to a slow simmer. You can add extra spices or flavors to this broth as well. Cover pot and allow to cook for an hour or more. Be sure to use a large pot and plenty of broth, as seitan will expand. Seitan is done cooking when it has firmed.

6. Remove from broth, allow to cool and use in a recipe or make a seitan stir-fry.

Seitan keeps well in the freezer in a sealed container or zip lock bag, so make a double batch and freeze for later, thawing for an hour or two first before using.