Homemade seitan can seem like a tricky proposition, but it’s not that difficult (and much cheaper!) when you get the hang of it. Ever since I tried the amazing seitan at Horizons, I’ve recommitted myself to perfecting my seitan efforts. Above – the seitan. Already boiled, marinated, grilled, and ready to be devoured. But how do you get there? First, pick a recipe. I like the recipes from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian and Veganomicon, and tend to make a seitan that’s a combination of the two. My key ingredients are fresh garlic and nutritional yeast. Don’t skip them!
Put all your dry ingredients into a large bowl. Salt, wheat gluten, and nutritional yeast, plus any dry herbs or spices you want to add. It doesn’t look very appetizing now, but it will get there.
MIx your wet ingredients in a small bowl. A bit of vegetable stock, soy sauce, olive oil, and I throw the garlic in now. Now dump the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, and and stir until the the dough forms a wet ball.
Knead the dough ball with your hands. Knead it hard. Keep kneading the dough, flipping and turning it (much like bread dough) until it becomes very springy and glossy – this means the gluten fibers are formed. When you think that you’re done, knead it a little more.
In a big pot, boil a few cups of vegetable stock. Then, add what you want. I like soy sauce, wine, bay leaf, and sometimes a fresh chili. Divide the dough ball into four parts, and then form each part into a thin log. Drop the logs into the boiling stock. Boil for just 5 minutes, and then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot slightly with a lid, and simmer for an hour. The dough logs will puff up, and look very unattractive. This is why I didn’t even bother taking a picture of them. They sort of resemble organs. Slice up the logs in chunks or strips and marinate in whatever you like. I like a secret sauce that included hot Louisiana BBQ sauce, jerk seasoning, calypso hot sauce, and some other secret things. Marinate over night if you can, or for at least a few hours.
Grill it! Either on skewers on the BBQ, in a George Forman grill if its rainy, or on a greased grill pan on the stove. There you have it. Delicious.