[empress(ive)]

i have been reading about seitan and think i may have even tried it before, but i have no idea where to find it (where would i look at whole foods for example) or even how to pronounce it.

what can you make with it?

ideas?

[hannah_phi]

Pre-made seitan would be in the refrigerated section at whole foods, probably near the tofu. There are also seitan mixes, basically wheat gluten, that would be in an aisle. The process of making it from a mix is a bit tedious IMHO, so unless I need it to be another shape than strips I usually just buy the pre-made. It is pronounced sort of like satan with the word it inserted in the middle (say-i-tan). Here is a recipe from the Vegetarian Times cookbook that I have used for homemade seitan. It can be used in place of meat in pretty much any recipe.

Start with 7 1/2 cups whole wheat flour poured in a large bowl. Slowly stir in 6 cups of water, and keep stirring until the mixture forms a ball. Knead for 10 minutes to develop the gluten in the wheat. Remove the ball from the bowl and hold it under cold running water, stretching the dough repetedly until the strach and bran wash away, about 10 minutes. Form the dough into a loaf, place it on cheesecloth and tie the ends. Then set it in a pot of boiling vegetable stock flavored to your liking and simmer 1 hour. Add more boiling water to the pot as necessary. Remove the loaf and let cool. Slice it or cube it for use in recipes where you want a meaty texture or flavor.

A fovorite around our house is seitan fajitas.

Have fun experimentating I'd love to hear any great combinations you come up with.

Hannah

[Navi]

I should check this forum more often. heh.

There is a very easy way to make seitan at home. All you need is wheat gluten flour (sold in bulk at health food stores, or in a box by the other flours. You can also find it at well stocked supermarkets), water, and whatever spices you'd like.

Measure 1 cup of gluten flour into a bowl. Add whatever spices you'd like (for Mexican seasoned seitan, I put 1 Tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp each onion and garlic powder) and mix. Add 1/2 cup of water and mix well. You'll probably have to start using your hands after a while. If it seems like you don't have enough water, add more about a tablespoon or two at a time. Knead the ball for a little while (you can do this right in the bowl). After that's done, break off pieces of the dough, roll it into snakes that are thinner than you want the finished product to be, and cut it into chunks. Boil in water (or vegetable broth, for added flavor) for 30 to 60 minutes.

And now it's ready to use in your favorite recipe. (DH loves seitan fajitas. )

The longer you knead it, and the longer you boil it, the "tougher" it will be. So with a bit of practice you can control how tender you'd like it.