Savory Seitan

I have quite a strange relationship with food. I do not only enjoy eating, preparing or buying food, I even like to only look at it. I just love the colours, the smell, the texture and of course the taste of different food items. On the other hand I also try to eat as healthy as possible in order to provide my body all nutrients and enough energy. Having tried many different diets and lifestyles together with the fact that I simply adore all kind of vegetables, made me end up as a vegetarian, but I tend to cook vegan meals if I prepare them for myself. This works best for me and my body, so that I feel the most energetic, dynamic and motivated I have ever felt in my entire life. One reason why this diet works so great for me is that I simply adore carrots, tomatoes, eggplants, celery,... and as well as starchy vegetables like rice, potatoes, bulgur, buckwheat and quinoa. However, sometimes I just like to add something with a bit more protein to my meals. Most people only think of tofu when it comes to vegan protein, but there are a lot more options, such as beans, lentils or seitan.

Sei...what?

Seitan! Seitan is made from pure wheat protein, better known as "gluten". It was traditionally used by Zen-Buddhists as a substitute for meat and therefore is a meal of Chinese and Japanese origin.

Attention!!! If you suffer from celiac disease or if your body has any other issue with digesting gluten, then you should not try this recipe!!!

There are basically two different ways to prepare seitan. The more common one is to buy whole wheat flour and rinse it with cold water until the water runs clear, so that only the gluten is left. This can be quite tricky, so I am going to show you the other option.

You will need:

- 250g of gluten
- 250ml of water
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1.7 liter of vegetable broth
- 2 tsp. soy sauce
- approximately 100g of tomato paste
- ½ small onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, crushed

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At first, combine wheat gluten, salt and garlic powder in large bowl. 

Add water and the soy sauce and knead the mixture until a dough forms. You may need to add more water if necessary. 

Continue kneading the dough in the bowl until its consistence turns elastic.

Cut the dough into smaller pieces and place them in a large saucepan.

Now add the diced onion, the tomato paste, the garlic, and enough vegetable broth to cover the seitan. 

Bring everything to a boil over medium heat, before reducing the heat in order to let it simmer 30 to 45 minutes, until the seitan is firm.

Now remove everything from the heat. It is important to let the seitan cool down in the vegetable broth, as it soaks up the flavours over night. 

The seitan is now ready to be steamed, baked, fried or used in any dish that ordinarily requires meat. Feel free to play around with flavors and shapes!

Enjoy!