Seitan and seitan recipes

[Mr Flibble]

cool ta, i haven't tried it in years, but may have another go sometime soon. I got a load of high gluten white bread flour going cheap a few days ago.

[Aylish]

Hi everyone

Is it possible to make seitan from spelt flour? I have read that wheat and spelt are very similar, so I assumed spelt seitan would be available. But I really can't find anything through google. Supposedly the protein in spelt is more bio-available.

Thanks, A

[VeganJohn]

Hi,

I was wondering whether anyone could help me here. I have several tins of 'mock duck' in the house, made from wheat gluten. I have heard that these wheat gluten products are high in protein and low in carbohydrate, although many healthy eating books say to try and avoid wheat. Gluten is also said to be rather unhealthy too.

So is it healthy to eat wheat gluten/seitan fairly regularly? Mock duck cooked in the oven and served with plum sauce is just the best thing ever :>

Any help would be much appreciated guys/gals.

Cheers.

[Tigerlily]

If you do not have an allergy or intolerance to gluten, go for it! :) I don't think there's anything wrong with that, as long as the bulk of your diet doesn't consist of mock duck. :p

[Pob]

It's good in a stir fry, too.

All the best fake meats are made from wheat gluten - all the Redwoods fake meats, Realeat mince, Realeat chicken style pieces.

It isn't a complete protein, though, unlike soya fake meats. It is deficient in lysine, so having a good source of lysine with it may be a good idea.
Good sources of lysine are beans, lentils, watercress, some spices.

[FR]

From my White Wave Foods box of Wheat Meat:

Serving Size = 85g - A 16 oz. box of this provides for 5 servings, but I make three per box.

Calories = 130
Total Fat = 0%
Sodium = 270mg or 11% of the RDA
Carbs = 9g or 3% of the RDA
Fiber = 3g or 12% of the RDA
Sugar = 0%
Protein = 24g (that's great)

Vitamin A = 0%
Calcium = 6% of the RDA
Iron = 4% of the RDA
Vitamin C = 0%

There isn't any other nutritional information listed. Basically, this is a high protein food which is fat free. It is best to eat this in combination with veggies with high vitamin content.

[VeganJohn]

Thanks for the info!!

I am just eating dinner, not 'wheat meat' tonight but soya protein chunks, cooked in plum sauce and served with green veggies. A low fat, high protein meal after a long walk :>

I always thought Redwood stuff was soy protein based?

[Pob]

Nope - they may have some soy in, but they are all mostly gluten.

[misszubair]

HELP!

I need help making seitan. I've tried quite a few times to make it....everytime it just kinda falls apart...what am I doing wrong? I've used 2 differnt kinds of flour...but everytime...it came out bad. I was told to use "King Arthur" brand whole wheat flour....but when I wdid that...it just fell apart.

Does anyone have any advice....I'm going to be working at a Vegan Restaurant inNY very soon...but I don't even know how to make Seitan! HELP!

thanks...

[DianeVegan]

Hi Misszubair,

You describe a common problem when making seitan from whole wheat flour. It's one of the reasons I use gluten flour with a bit of starchy flour and/or bran added. I left a recipe (post 25) but the link doesn't work anymore so you can't see the "beefy" flavored seitan. I think many vegan restaurants purchase their seitan from an outside source. I know that's the case here in Connecticut and also in Manhattan. (so you may never be asked to make seitan)

Making seitan is a bit like making bread and you need to experiment (and write down what you did!!) in order to get it just right. You can use different seasonings in the seitan and in the broth, you can simmer it on high or low for different textures, you can wrap it in cheese cloth for tubes or in loaves or in slices. You can braise it in the oven for a different texture. And the list goes on.

So I wouldn't worry about the seitan. If the restaurant makes their own, I assure you they will have a standardized recipe that they use and won't want you changing it. :)

[Jane M]

I find it harder to make seiten from whole wheat....don't know why it just is. There is that moment of panic when it looks like the whole thing is disolving right in front of you. That is when you take a deep breath and just keep kneading and rinsing...it does come together...really!

[JenRnnrGrl]

DianeVegan,

I made your seitan recipe this afternoon, and it came out wonderfully! Thank you so much for the recipe. Now I just need to find some recipes in which to use the seitan.

Thanks again,
Jennifer

[eclectic_one]

Thought we needed a thread on seitan:) Here's the first recipe to get people started...

I just made this today...I had bought some bean sprouts at a health food place and was going to buy some mushrooms to put in this dish, but realized that I had some organic collards that I needed to use, hence this "thrown together" and VERY tasty dishhttp://www.thenakedvegan.net/images/smilies/8Chef.gif http://www.thenakedvegan.net/images/smilies/eat.gif http://www.thenakedvegan.net/images/smilies/yum.gif

water
sesame & canola oil
two cloves garlic, minced/pressed
dash vegan worchestire sauce
one small bunch collards, destemmed and chopped
8 oz. traditional (White Wave) seitan--see ingredients below if using your own freshly made seitan--chopped into bite-size peices
5 oz. fresh mung bean sprouts

Place water (about 1/2 cup), garlic, splashes (maybe more of a swighttp://www.thenakedvegan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif ) of sesame oil, canola oil, and worchestire sauce in a large cast iron Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, then add chopped collards. Reduce heat to medium and allow collards to cook until about half done, then add chopped seitan and cover. Stir well and allow to cook until collards are almost done, stirring occasionally. Add bean sprouts, stirring again, and allow to cook (covered) until bean sprouts are done. Serve with brown rice. (I started the quick-cooking rice--12 minutes, then added the bean sprouts about halfway through the rice cooking time, then once the rice was done I added it to the seitan/collards mixture and stirred it up b4 serving it.)

[Sorry I'm lazy, I buy the pre-made stuff and am not good at keeping up with measurements--hence "about 1/2 cup" and "small bunch collards"http://www.thenakedvegan.net/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif ]

White wave seitan ingredients:
Water, Wheat Gluten, Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Wheat, Salt), Garbanzo Bean Flour, Soy Flour, Ginger Oil, Aquaresin Garlic.

[emmapresley]

would also like to have folks contribute to a seitan thread?? after buying some at BVF, i think it might become my next mini obsession :o

here's the recipe on how to make it

Quick Homemade Gluten
(Makes 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pounds or 2 to 2-1/2 cups)
This is the basic recipe for gluten.
2 cups gluten flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1-1/4 cups water or vegetable stock
3 Tablespoons lite tamari, Braggs liquid amino acids, or soy sauce
1-3 teaspoons toasted sesame oil (optional)
Add garlic powder and ginger to flour and stir. Mix liquids together and add to flour mixture all at once. Mix vigorously with a fork. When it forms a stiff dough knead it 10 to 15 times.
Let the dough rest 2 to 5 minutes, then knead it a few more times. Let it rest another 15 minutes before proceeding.
Cut gluten into 6 to 8 pieces and stretch into thin cutlets. Simmer in broth for 30 to 60 minutes

may have a bash at that at some point soon when the 'thing-in-the-jar' has gone :D

so, anyone who uses seitan, please feel free to pop in your recipe ideas. ty.

p.s there is also this link for the post punk kitchen..and lots of people saying they've tried making it this way and it was all succesful and and that

http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=112

and this. TY to frosty for finding it.
http://vegweb.com/index.php?board=329.0

looooads of seitan stuff to try now. no excuse peoples! unless you've got gluten intolerances etc :o and then you may be excused :D

[Mr Flibble]

Good luck finding gluten flour in the UK ;)

[emmapresley]

hmmn, you obviously know something i don't. :confused:

as the experienced vegan shopper that i assume you may be, any constructive advice on where to shop in the UK to find some mr f? :)

[Mr Flibble]

Well, veganstore import it from the US and sell it at outrageously inflated prices (£20.58 per kilo! :eek: ), which doesn't really make it viable for everyday use. Flourbin sell it at £2.50 per kilo - which is still a bit of a piss take considering what it is:

Gluten flour is literally just normal wheat flour with the starch removed (apparently normal flour is 10-11.5% protein, of which 80% is gluten). You can do it by hand (creating a flour/water dough then washing it under running water till your hands go numb) but again this isn't really suitable for everyday use (unless you are unemployed or never sleep). If you think how cheap you can get flour it shouldn't cost a lot more than £1 per kilo.

It's useful in bread making, but supermarkets just sell high gluten content wheat flour (with too much starch in for seiten - apparently it's ony 15% protein). Some health food shops apparently sell it (so i'm told, but no one has ever produced any evidence) but I haven't personally seen it in 7 years of looking. Most health food stores are so geared up for celiacs compared to people wanting to eat healthy food that they think you're taking the piss when you ask for pure gluten.

When you've run out of seiten though you'll find that mock duck that has come in can from most health food stores for at least 7 years is basically seiten.

[Frosty]

Heyho EmmaP,
They have gluten free brown bread flour on ebay for about £8. My cooking skillage is very limited, could you use this stuff?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Doves-Farm-Gluten-Free-Brown-Bread-Flour-1kg_W0QQitemZ300119814769QQihZ020QQcategoryZ1277QQ ssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Frosty x

[emmapresley]

hehehe..nooo silly!!
it doesn't want to be gluten FREE!

but thanks for finding the thingy on ebay! :D

[Mr Flibble]

free gluten? where?

I've had some nice gluten canned with chinese mushrooms before from soho in London. Very very odd looking but tasty sort of.

[Frosty]

tee hee, I misread in my haste! :D :rolleyes:

[Aradia]

There is a receipe in the Candle Cafe Cookbook which doesn't use gluten flour. It uses equal measures of wholewheat bread flour and white flour.

As it's expensive, and a pain to get hold of gluten flour (healthfood shop lady "no dear, we have gluten-free flour. are you sure that's not what you need dear?") I was going to give this recipe a go.

Has anyone made it seitan with non gluten flour?

Everytime I say seitan ... my husband starts singing "Satan, Satan, Satan" by Orbital. It's terribly amusing. But beginning to wear thin now. :rolleyes:

[ynef]

Whenever I make seitan, I always make it using regular plain wheat flour. Gluten flour is way too expensive and hard to get around here. I like to put some spice into the flour before adding the water and making the dough; stuff like cayenne, garlic powder and paprika powder. Anything that is full of taste works, since you'll be washing a lot of it out again.

For those who understand Swedish (or anyone who is happy by just looking at the pictures) and want to try to make their own seitan without using gluten powder, this (http://www.oxon.se/seitan/bake.html) guide is great. I would, however, recommend that you for two people use more than 10 deciliters of flour (~12 or so) but then again, I might just be a big fan of seitan. :)

[Mr Flibble]

I made seiten from scratch when I first turned vegan. Never again, far too much hassle, not to mention water wastage.

[emmapresley]

the thing-in-the-jar is still in the cupboard..:o..i'm working my way up to recreating that recipe i sampled at bvf..

i bought mock duck..the granose stuff a few weeks a go to try..pretty manky imo.

i was initially all excited about seitan..but i don't think it's for me