Seitan Strips

If you are looking for accessible plant-based meat options, seitan is a very good choice. It has been used as mock meat in Asian cuisine for ages. This recipe is a basic preparation of seitan strips, feel free to evolve it and add the spices or flavors you think might enhance the experience.

Time to prepare: 20-30m
Difficulty: Medium
Equipment: Frying pan, small bowl, food processor/blender, cutting knife, small or mid-sized pot
Adaptable: Yes
Vegetarian: Yes
Vegan: Yes
Dish origin: North America

Ingredients:

• Vital Wheat Gluten, 150g
  
• 1/2 block extra firm tofu or  mushrooms of your choice, 200g
• 1/2 onion, white or red
• 1 medium carrot
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons paprika 
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce or soy free alternative
• Vegetable broth (optional)
• Wine (optional)

Preparation:

1. Peel and chop the vegetables (if using portobello mushrooms those too), in a frying pan with a splash of vinegar or water fry the vegetables for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add them to a food processor or blender together with the soy sauce/soy free alternative (and tofu if using soy). Blend until you have a relatively smooth paste.
3. In a bowl mix the vital wheat gluten and spices, add the paste and mix well.
4. Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes, if too sticky add more vital wheat gluten. 
5. Flatten out the dough into the dimensions you want the seitan to have and now you have two options:
   1. Fry the strips in oil for about 5 minutes, constantly turning them
   2.  Heat a pot of water, add vegetable broth and wine (if available). Once the water is boiling reduce the temperature and let

Recipe is an inspiration from "Street Vegan" cookbook