Making SEITAN!!!!!!

Here is an easy recipe for boiled wheat gluten based seitan from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan with a Vengeance. Super easy and WAY cheaper than buying the pre-made kind! This can be used in virtually any recipe as a meat substitute. i will be using it in ICM's Ethiopian seitan and peppers recipe (to follow).

Ingredients:

2 C vital wheat gluten flour

1/4 nutritional yeast

2 TBSP all-purpose flour

1 C cold water or vegetable broth

1/2 soy sauce (tamari)

1 TBSP tomato paste

1 TBSP olive oil

2 cloves garlic, pressed or grated on a Microplane grater (my preferred method)

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

Broth:

12 cups COLD water or vegetable broth. COLD! The seitan will get mushy if it isn't cold.

1/2 C soy sauce

In a large bowl, mix wheat gluten, nutritional yeast and all-purpose flour. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients by straining through the lemon zest. (I have accidentally messed this up by just throwing the lemon zest into the bowl more times than not and it's still come out great.)

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine with a firm spatula. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes until spongy and elastic. Let the dough rest for a few minutes. while you're waiting, prepare your broth. Keep it cold! 

Roll the dough into a log shape about 10" long and cut into 6 pieces of roughly equal size. 

Place the pieces in the broth. Again, it is important that the broth be COLD at this point! You don't want mushy, crumbly seitan, do you? Partially cover the pot, allowing steam to escape and bring to a boil.

When the broth begins to oil, set the heat to low and gently simmer for an hour, turning the pieces every  once in a while.

Turn off the heat and let the broth and seitan cool for at least 30 minutes. (I have jumped the gun before with not-so-pretty results.) This will produce a firmer seitan. Ideally, let everything cool completely before removing the seitan pieces.

If you are not using right away, store in a sealable container for up to 5 days, but I'm using it to make a savory African dish which is coming up in 3...2...