Once again, welcome to the all new how-to series! Where we’ll break down all of the how-to musts for plant based cooking and vegan living. Today, we’ll continue with how to cook with seitan. 🌱
What is Seitan?
First things first: for those curious, seitan is pronounced say-tan. 😉
Seitan is made from wheat. As such, it is also known as “wheat meat,” wheat protein, or wheat gluten. The base of seitan is made from vital wheat gluten: the remaining protein after dough particles have been removed.
On its own, seitan has a mild savory flavor. But, when mixed with various spices and ingredients, seitan can take on a wide variety of flavors. The texture of seitan is meaty, and therefore is a common meat substitute in vegan cooking.
Seitan is low in calories, carbohydrates, and fat. However, it is not high in protein and does not contain all the essential amino acids.
Prepared seitan can be found in the refrigerated section of most health food stores. Or, you can make your own using vital wheat gluten and water.
However, seitan is a highly processed food. Therefore, it should be eaten in moderation.
For those with gluten sensitivities, try tempeh or plain tofu instead.
Vegan Cooking with Seitan
Once vital wheat gluten is mixed with liquid, it becomes extremely sticky. Thus, becoming seitan. Carefully knead the dough into a desired form. Additionally, be careful not to overwork and over-knead your dough, or the end result will be extremely dense and tough.
Form seitan to make everything from vegan chicken breasts or strips, ground beef, hotdogs, steaks, and other meat substitutes.
So, how do we cook seitan? Seitan can be prepared a number of different ways.
Most recipes involve steaming or simmering the seitan before grilling, frying, etc.
Steamed
Depending on the recipe, you will either wrap seitan in foil or place it directly into the steamer basket.
Also, depending on how you formed the seitan, it will need to be covered and steamed between 40-60 minutes.
If not wrapping in foil, I like to add vegetable bouillon to the steaming water for extra flavor.
Simmered
Fill a large stock pot halfway with water and season the water as desired (soy sauce, vegetable bouillon, etc.) Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Place seitan dough into the water and cover the pot, allowing steam to escape. Keep an eye on the water, and adjust heat as necessary to maintain a simmer. Cook seitan for approximately 45-60 minutes.
When simmered, the seitan dough absorbs some of the liquid and is less dense. However, make sure it is simmering and not boiling. Otherwise, it will turn out spongy.
Grilled
Grill cooked seitan for 4-5 minutes per side over medium high heat.
Fried
First, steam or simmer seitan. Then:
Pan fry over medium heat for 3-5 minutes per side until golden brown.
Deep fry over medium heat for approximately 2-4 minutes or until completely golden brown.
Air fry at 370 degrees for approximately 12-14 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Crumbled
Once cooked, seitan can be pulsed in a food processor and crumbled, which is a good ground meat substitute.
Marinated
Form dough as desired. Steam or simmer seitan. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Grill seitan and enjoy!
Plant Based Recipes using Seitan
For more amazing seitan recipes, be sure to check out my Pinterest page. What are your favorite seitan dishes? Or will this be your first time trying seitan? Let me know in the comments below! And, be sure to follow my social media this week for lots of vegan seitan deliciousness! 😋
Again, something I’ve never eaten. You truly know how make something look good! As always, plating is appetizing!
God Bless!
Thank you! 💚 If you’re new to vegan food, I recommend trying tofu or tempeh first. Then work your way into TVP and seitan. Truthfully, seitan isn’t one of my personal favorites, but I’ve had it prepared really well at certain restaurants. 🌱