Bryanna's New Beefy Seitan
Recipe by: Bryanna Clark Grogan (May 2, 2002)
I have revised my seitan “roast’ and “cutlet” recipes to use a
marvellous method of preparation devised by Ellen of www.ellenskitchen.com
because it results in such a wonderful tender, meaty texture. I thank Ellen
profusely for this—I still prefer my own seasonings and fat-free ingredients,
but this method produces the most superior seitan I have ever had. (I’m not
revising my seitan “sausage” and “meatball” recipes, because they have a
different texture.)
This is good hot (you can make hot "beef" sandwiches with your
favorite gravy, or "French Dip" sandwiches on hard rolls, see text
below), or sliced cold for sandwiches (Slice very thinly-- this is easier when
it's cold).
Make the whole recipe and use the leftovers for sandwiches; or grind some in
a meat grinder or food processor for "hamburger"; cut some of it into
strips for stir-fries and stroganoff; and/or cut thicker slices for
"steaks" or "cutlets" to pan-fry, grill or broil (with or
without a breading; with or without a salt-free grilling sauce, barbecue sauce
or marinade).
Use the leftover cooking broth to enhance sauces, or thin it out a little
with some water for a French Dip for sandwiches! (3/4 c. cooking broth with 1/2
c. water, plus a bit of garlic granules.)
You can freeze the cooking broth and re-use it—maybe adding another half a
batch, if necessary, to make sure there’s about 7 c. total liquid. Actually,
you can keep this and other seitan cooking broths going as “perpetual broths”,
the way the Chinese do with “red cooking”—just make sure you freeze the
leftover broth in between cooking batches of seitan. Strain off the old
seasonings before adding new.
KNEADING, use an automatic bread machine on the dough cycle or a mixer with a
dough hook (I have a Bosch). You can knead by hand, too, but it’s tougher than
bread dough. If you do this by hand, let then gluten mixture sit for a while to
soak up the flavors.
IF YOU DON’T HAVE A SLOW-COOKER, use a sturdy covered pot in a 200 degree
F. oven, or, as I do, an electric skillet at 180 degrees F (I have a ceramic
liner in mine, too).
**You can make this in the morning and it will be done at night (figure about
10 hours total preparation time—most of that time you don’t even need to be
around); or make before you go to bed a night and it'll be ready in the morning.
DRY MIX:
2 and 1/4 c. pure gluten powder (Vital wheat gluten)
1/2 c. Minute tapioca (buy in an grocery store, unflavored, or in bulk)
NOTE: Ellen says you can use 2/3 c. tapioca flour instead, but I like the little
‘pockets’ the tapioca bits make in the seitan
1/2 c. pinto or black bean flakes, OR soy flakes, (other options might be dry
flaked or granulated TVP, or hominy flakes)
3 T. nutritional yeast flakes
1 and 1/2 tsp. onion powder or 1/4-1/3 c. dried onion flakes
3/4 tsp. garlic granules
OPT: 1/2 c. ground unhulled sesame seeds
WET MIX:
(This is from Ellen’s recipe, except for the gravy browner, which I like for
color)
2 c. cold water
1/3 c. vegetarian “oyster” sauce (**see about this product and homemade
versions below)
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. vegan gravy browner, such as Kitchen Bouquet, or vegetarian worcestershire
sauce
COOKING BROTH:
5 c. very hot water (can be part water from soaking dried mushrooms)
(water has to be hot to dissolve the Marmite or miso properly)
5 tsp. Marmite or other yeast extract OR 2 T. plus 1 tsp. dark miso
5 T. soy sauce, dark soy sauce or mushroom soy sauce
5 T. ketchup
5 tsp. vegan gravy browner, such as Kitchen Bouquet, or vegetarian
worcestershire sauce (IF YOU USE DARK OR MUSHROOM SOY SAUCE, omit this—it’s
just for color)
Mix the Dry Mix ingredients in the bowl of your electric mixer with dough hook
attachment, or place them in the bread machine in the order given. Add the Wet
Mix and knead for about 10 minutes. (If your bread machine has a dough cycle—two
kneads with a long rest in between—use that cycle. Otherwise, just run it
through the kneading part and then unplug it and let it rest in the cover
container, then plug it in again for another knead, then remove it,) Let rest
for about 1 hour, covered. You can make your Cooking Broth at this time and have
it ready. Then knead it for 10 more minutes.
The dough should be quite shiny and smooth. Avoid breaking it up when you
take it out of the bowl. Knead by stretching and patting or rolling into a flat
rectangle. Fold in half and repeat, doing this 6 times, and folding so that the
gluten strands are always going in the same direction. If the dough gets
stubborn and won’t relax, just cover it and go away for about 20 minutes, and
it’ll be fine. Form the dough into a piece that will fit into your pot, only
about 1” thick, however. Wet your hands from time to time to make the dough
easier to handle. (You can cut the roast in half, if you like.) Oil or spray
lightly and let rest while you get the pot ready.
**FOR “STEAKS”, roll or pat the dough into a thin rectangle. Cut into
several pieces, then flatten those pieces some more. Cut into as many pieces as
you like, as thin as you like (they should double in size and thickness).
Oil or spray the inside of your slow-cooker or pot. It has to have room for
the roast or cutlets to expand. Pour about 1 c. of the hot Cooking Broth in the
bottom of the pot, then place the roast in. Cover with the rest of the broth. It
should just cover the roast—if not, make a bit more broth (say, 1/4 of the
recipe). (For steaks, put all the broth in the pot first, then slide in the
steaks.) Cover tightly and simmer on LOW (180 to 200 degrees F) for 6-8 hours ,
turning once halfway through if you are awake. If steaks are not covered by
broth after a few hours, you may need to add more—make it boiling hot. After a
while you will know how much broth to put in with steaks so that they stay
covered.
Cool in the broth, then refrigerate well-wrapped. It freezes well, too. Any
leftover broth can be frozen for using again, as noted above. Steaks can be cut
into chunks or strips for stews, stir-fries, etc.
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