Have you ever heard of the seitan? It is a food prepared from wheat gluten that was discovered by Chinese noodle makers in the 6th century. Later, Buddhist monks incorporated it into their diet. Nowadays, it is used to make milanesas, croquettes, stews or risottos, although there are also those who eat it alone, simply accompanied by a garnish.
It is known as vegetable meat, since it resembles it both in taste and appearance. Like tofu, it is an ideal alternative in vegan or vegetarian diets, since it is rich in protein. It provides 24 grams of protein per 100 grams. However, since it is made with wheat protein, it is not suitable for coeliacs.
In addition, seitan is a light and digestive food that, however, generates a feeling of satiety. It has little fiber, fat and sugar and provides minerals such as potassium, calcium and sodium.
How to make homemade seitan
In addition to being a source of protein, seitan is a very easy product to prepare at home. This will help you reduce costs, choose the ingredients and have control of the preparation. Let’s see how it’s done here!
The secret ingredient? Wheat flour.
The first step is to make a dough with wheat flour and water as if you were making bread but without yeast. The amount of water will depend on the type of flour you choose and you should adjust it until you achieve a dough that does not stick to your hands.
Then you must cover the dough with warm water in a bowl. After a few hours it is washed, stretched and compactly placed back in the water.
That water will become cloudy as it becomes saturated with starch. When this happens, it should be changed, and so on until it comes out clean.
When that happens, it should be cooked. For this, it is separated into pieces, shaped into a ball and put on the fire in a saucepan filled with water, soy sauce and a leaf of kombu seaweed. Vegetables and herbs or ginger can also be added for flavor. The water should be boiling when the dough is placed.
Seitan can be kept for a few days in the fridge with a little broth. If it is not going to be consumed soon, it is preferable to freeze it.
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