Basic Homemade Seitan

An easy recipe for homemade seitan, also known as seasoned wheat gluten. A versatile vegetarian/vegan meatless protein that can be used in stir-fries, curries and beyond.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil, or any oil
• 1 large yellow or white onion, diced
• 2cloves garlic, minced
• ½ tsp salt
• 1½ tsp paprika
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 34g cup chickpea flour
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 193g vital wheat gluten

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and salt, and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently until onion is softened slightly.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic and stir. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the garlic is softened and fragrant. Add the sweet paprika to the pan, stir and cook for 60 seconds or until fragrant. Remove from the heat.

Use a spatula to transfer the onion-garlic mixture, including oil to a blender or food processor. Add the tomato paste, vegetable stock, soy sauce, chickpea flour and nutritional yeast. Blend until smooth.

Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and add the vital wheat gluten, then stir until evenly combined. Once stirred, use your hands to knead the mixture until it becomes more firm and a little bit springy, about 2 minutes. Do note this will feel wetter and moister than many other seitan recipes due to the fact that we are steaming it rather than boiling it. The dough will be quite loose and moist, so this won't feel similar to kneading bread.

Prepare boiling water and a steamer. Be sure to add plenty of water since this will be steaming for a long time. Form the dough into a log-shaped blob and then roll it up tightly in a piece of aluminium foil, twisting the ends tightly. 

Once the water is boiling, steam the wrapped gluten dough for 1 hour, carefully flipping it over halfway through using a tongs.

Let the cooked seitan cool to room temperature then unwrap it and place it in an airtight container in the refrigerator  for at least 8 hours. For best results, slice the seitan as needed for recipes rather than pre-slicing it. The homemade seitan in log form will keep in the fridge for up to a week.