Foolproof Seitan recipes/Tips/Techniques

[silva]

So is wheat gluten flour and water generally always a good base? (of course I will try adding various spices, dijon, soy sauce, etc.)?
What "stock" is referred to?

I used to purchase pre-made seitan but it is no longer around, and I don't purchase "vegan chicken" and the like.

Thanks for all the ingredient ideas!

Well, that's as basic as it gets!
What I like for sandwich slices is just vwg, broth, and lots of seasoning! I add water, whatever vegan seasoning I want to taste strong, then add about the same amount of vwg to it and mix, adding enough to make a firm dough, and mix to combine. I'll let sit about an hour, wrap in foil and either bake or Instand pot,. An hour at 350F per cup of vwg used. In IP I'll wrap and place on rack over cup of water in the Pot, same time

This is a great site for all kinds of seitans. I just made the pastrami with jackfruit and it's delicious! I've done one similar that had far more steps and this is just as good and easy

Vegan Pastrami — 86 Eats

Vegan Pastrami made with vital wheat gluten, beets, and jackfruit

www.86eats.com

 

[PTree15]

So I tried the quick seitan recipe (the 20-minute one with the 7 ingredients) for some buffalo nuggets, and while the texture is decent (a little chewy, so I might try another flour to blend with the vital wheat gluten besides white flour), the flavor was nonexistent. I should have guessed with the small amount of seasoning in the original recipe. I'll doctor this up big time. I do like the convenience of a quick seitan, though, as it typically can take an hour or longer for a regular batch depending on the recipe.

 

[KLS52]

It’s so versatile…you can do anything to it seasoning- wise. When I make it I add 1/2 cup vwg, 1/4 cup chickpea flour, about an ounce of tofu that I blend with 1/2 cup of water and 1-2 TBLSP of nutritional yeast. I add garlic and onion powder, a tsp of vegetable better than bouillon that I blend with the water/tofu, black pepper and about half a tablespoon of porcini mushroom powder. I add a few sprinkles of sesame oil to the tofu/bouillon water when I blend it. Basically all the dry ingredients together and all the wet together. I don’t use all of the wet at once because sometimes I don’t always need all of it. I do like the dough to be pretty wet/soft. I knead it just enough to get all the ingredients incorporated. I break off all of the pieces and put them on a plate so that I can fry them at the same time instead of breaking off a piece at a time and putting it in the fry pan like in the video. This way they cook at the same rate. I barely use any oil to fry them, just enough to coat the pan because I don’t want them deep-fried. When they’re all brown, I throw in a little bit of water and cover and steam them for about five minutes. I used to put the chili sauce in after that and cook it in the pan, but now I just take the nuggets and coat them in the chili sauce and put them in the air fryer on high for 4-5 minutes.

It’s sounding more involved than it is when you break down each step. It takes 15-20 minutes from beginning to eating them. The best part is having the leftover nuggets in the fridge for the next day because then all you have to do is coat them in sauce and throw them in the air fry or heat them in a pan. And then you can do other sauces if you want. Making the leftovers is super quick. I’ve used barbecue sauce too just for something different.

 

[PTree15]

It’s so versatile…you can do anything to it seasoning- wise. When I make it I add 1/2 cup vwg, 1/4 cup chickpea flour, about an ounce of tofu that I blend with 1/2 cup of water and 1-2 TBLSP of nutritional yeast. I add garlic and onion powder, a tsp of vegetable better than bouillon that I blend with the water/tofu, black pepper and about half a tablespoon of porcini mushroom powder. I add a few sprinkles of sesame oil to the tofu/bouillon water when I blend it. Basically all the dry ingredients together and all the wet together. I don’t use all of the wet at once because sometimes I don’t always need all of it. I do like the dough to be pretty wet/soft. I knead it just enough to get all the ingredients incorporated. I break off all of the pieces and put them on a plate so that I can fry them at the same time instead of breaking off a piece at a time and putting it in the fry pan like in the video. This way they cook at the same rate. I barely use any oil to fry them, just enough to coat the pan because I don’t want them deep-fried. When they’re all brown, I throw in a little bit of water and cover and steam them for about five minutes. I used to put the chili sauce in after that and cook it in the pan, but now I just take the nuggets and coat them in the chili sauce and put them in the air fryer on high for 4-5 minutes.

It’s sounding more involved than it is when you break down each step. It takes 15-20 minutes from beginning to eating them. The best part is having the leftover nuggets in the fridge for the next day because then all you have to do is coat them in sauce and throw them in the air fry or heat them in a pan. And then you can do other sauces if you want. Making the leftovers is super quick. I’ve used barbecue sauce too just for something different.

Thanks for the info. The recipe also said to steam them first, at least the one I used. So I did that and then fried them also in just a bit of oil. They browned up nicely. I think my dough didn't have enough wet ingredients. I may make it like the baked version I use and add nooch flakes and some tahini. Sesame oil is a good choice, too. I will try it with chickpea flour as well.

 

[KLS52]

I can’t imagine you not liking it once you tweak it to your own preference.

 

[PTree15]

I can’t imagine you not liking it once you tweak it to your own preference.

I do look forward to tweaking. It was just basically flavorless. I should have known when I saw just half a teaspoon of both onion and garlic powder and a teaspoon of veggie broth powder. My go-to recipe has double that plus other spices and a bit more liquid. It was edible, just not very good, haha. It got nice and crispy, though, which was great. I smothered it in buffalo sauce, but I might try the Asian sauce in the recipe or the sesame-ginger sauce I often make for a tofu and broccoli dish. I'll give it another go this weekend. I should be done with this batch by then.

 

[shyvas]

I do look forward to tweaking. It was just basically flavorless. I should have known when I saw just half a teaspoon of both onion and garlic powder and a teaspoon of veggie broth powder. My go-to recipe has double that plus other spices and a bit more liquid. It was edible, just not very good, haha. It got nice and crispy, though, which was great. I smothered it in buffalo sauce, but I might try the Asian sauce in the recipe or the sesame-ginger sauce I often make for a tofu and broccoli dish. I'll give it another go this weekend. I should be done with this batch by then.

I've lost the plot here. Which recipe are we talking about?

 

[PTree15]

I've lost the plot here. Which recipe are we talking about?

No worries. It was this one.

 

[shyvas]

No worries. It was this one.

It does need far more seasoning and I always add chickpea flour to wg. I may try this method as making huge batches of seitan is often time consuming.

 

[KLS52]

For me, the flavor of the nuggets is ok if it’s mild because I’m all about the sauce lol. I love the sweet chili. I’d like to find a sesame ginger or even a kung pao/general tso.

 

[shyvas]

For me, the flavor of the nuggets is ok if it’s mild because I’m all about the sauce lol. I love the sweet chili. I’d like to find a sesame ginger or even a kung pao/general tso.

Same here but seitan does need a minimum of tasty seasoning. I often eat it plain in either a sandwich, salad or mixed with roast veg. I don't really make a lot of dishes with sauces especially if they're sweet.

 

[KLS52]

Same here but seitan does need a minimum of tasty seasoning. I often eat it plain in either a sandwich, salad or mixed with roast veg. I don't really make a lot of dishes with sauces especially if they're sweet.

Yes that would make a difference. I don’t use it in sandwiches or salads. I would like to try my hand at making a roast, maybe in the crockpot. It would be nice to have it with a side of roasted vegetables and potatoes…maybe even a nice gravy. I miss stew/pot roast.

 

[shyvas]

Yes that would make a difference. I don’t use it in sandwiches or salads. I would like to try my hand at making a roast, maybe in the crockpot. It would be nice to have it with a side of roasted vegetables and potatoes…maybe even a nice gravy. I miss stew/pot roast.

I often make a nice goulash with dumplings using seitan or a curry.

 

[PTree15]

For me, the flavor of the nuggets is ok if it’s mild because I’m all about the sauce lol. I love the sweet chili. I’d like to find a sesame ginger or even a kung pao/general tso.

I did cook some for lunch today in buffalo sauce, and that helped. I had them on a sub roll with some melted vegan cheese. I'm excited to try it again with more spices and liquid. This is my go-to sesame-ginger sauce from Budget Bytes. It might not be sweet enough for you, so you can add more sweetener. I've made it for omnis, and they loved it.

 

[KLS52]

The recipe sounds good…Thanks!

 

[PTree15]

The recipe sounds good…Thanks!

You're welcome. It's easy peasy, too.

 

[FredVegrox]

Tikka Masala with Seitan

Vegan Seitan Tikka Masala: Tandoori Spiced, Dairy-free, Healthy

This vegan seitan tikka masala is a perfect curry for any meal. With tandoori seitan tikka, creamy tomato gravy and herbs, this is an epic curry.

www.mydaintysoulcurry.com

 

[silva]

I think I made the best seitan sausage ever
Started with Isa Moscowitz recipe, but, instead of beans I used firm tofu. I just mashed it with fork till it was all crumbly, then added Better than Boullion beef broth, a good squirt of ketchup, and about a Tblsp of chili oil, more red pepper, less fennel...
Used Instant Pot for steaming under pressure, same 40 min

 

[shyvas]

Seitan bacun-Seitan Appreciation Society.

 

[Daxx]

It's not as good as Shyvas's shamefully sexy pic above, but I had a bash at some seitan facon. The texture is good, but the smokey flavour I aimed for didn't come through. I also should have upped the salt a bit, maybe not as much as the whopping 2-3% in pig bacon. I'd call this a partial success and I'll make it again with improvements.

The pink layers are flavoured with tomato/paprika/black pepper and the white layers nooch/mustard.

I barely kneaded it, then wrapped it in aluminium foil, then cling film, and boiled it for an hour. Then it's good to slice thinly and fry. Freezes nicely too.