3 Seitan Recipes To Gain Protein

The seitan is a “vegetable meat” very easy to prepare at home. The problem is that it is not as complete as tofu or as a plate of legumes and cereals. Its amino acid profile is not as good as, for example, that of tofu, soybeans, chickpeas or beans. Therefore, although it has a very good taste and very good texture, it is not recommended as the only source of protein.

There is nothing wrong with consuming it from time to time as long as we eat a balanced diet (consuming legumes at another time of the day).

Seitan does not have a canonical recipe, that is, there is no fixed standard, so each seitan is different (both purchased and homemade recipes). What makes it possible to call it seitan is that it is composed mainly of wheat gluten, that it forms a dough with it and is cooked (boiled, steamed, baked, etc.). That resulting cooked dough will be seitan.

That is why today I propose to make different types of seitan by improving its composition. For this we will use very easy ingredients and we will prepare it almost the same as a “normal” seitan. With these adaptations we will have seitans with different textures, flavors and composition, making them more interesting on a nutritional level.

The idea is that you experiment with the ingredients and create your own combinations.

Seitan with white beans

We mix the wheat gluten with beans to make seitan, we will be providing a more complete protein, iron and calcium. The resulting seitan will be more tender, with a certain creaminess, ideal for browning in slices or for stews and stews.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of powdered wheat gluten.
• 2 cups cooked and drained white beans.
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce.
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika.
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.

Preparation

1. In a bowl mix the gluten with the paprika and garlic.
2. Beat the beans with the mixer until they are pureed.
3. Add the beans and soy sauce to the bowl with the gluten, mix well and knead for 3-4 minutes, until it forms a thick and non-brittle dough. If necessary you can add a little water.
4. Wrap the dough with a muslin, tightly closed, and steam it for 20 minutes over medium-high heat. With this we will have our seitan with beans made, ready to refrigerate or freeze, or use directly by cutting it and browning it to taste.

Seitan with oats and brown rice

The oatmeal (which sold for porridge and breakfast) is great with seitan. Provides elasticity and texture. Also fiber and phosphorus.

The brown rice also makes the dough elastic but prevents it from being too hard. With the brown rice we will also be adding fiber, proteins and minerals such as manganese.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of powdered wheat gluten.
• ½ cup of cooked brown rice (and drained).
• ½ cup of rolled oats.
• 1 cup of water.
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce.
• ¼ vegetable broth tablet (or ½ teaspoon powdered vegetable broth).
• 1 teaspoon of parsley.
• 1 teaspoon onion powder.

preparation:

1. Bring the water with the vegetable broth, parsley and onion to a boil in a saucepan . When it comes to a boil, add the oats and lower the heat. Stir constantly until a paste forms.
2. Take it off the heat and add the rice. Mix it really well.
3. Put the gluten and soy sauce in a bowl and add the mixture from the saucepan. Stir it very well to mix it and when it is warm knead it by hand for a few minutes, until it forms an elastic dough. You can add a little water if necessary.
4. Once a ball is formed, cook it in a large pot with plenty of water for 40 minutes (20 if you use a pressure cooker). You can add onion, pepper, cardamom, vegetable broth and spices to the cooking water to taste.
5. When it’s done, take it out and let it cool. You can store it in a container in the fridge with its own broth.

This seitan is great in any type of preparation, especially chopped and sautéed, in golden slices in the pan (for sandwiches for example) or to serve fried or roasted in the oven with sauce.

Seitan with black beans and vegetables

This seitan is a little different from the previous ones. Instead of forming a homogeneous dough, we leave pieces to add texture. The black beans or black beans have quality protein plus magnesium, phosphorus and
fiber.

Vegetables will mainly provide us with flavors and textures, as well as being a good way to take advantage of the remains of a broth.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup wheat gluten
• 1 cup black beans (cooked and drained)
• approx. 1 cup of vegetables with which we have made broth, chopped (carrot, turnip, leek, onion, parsnip … chop a little of each)
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

preparation:

1. In a bowl, mash the beans with a fork. It does not have to be pureed, you can have whole halves.
2. Add the vegetables, spices and soy sauce and mix very well, mashing it if you see large chunks.
3. Add the wheat gluten and mix everything. You can add a little water if it looks very dry or does not mix well.
4. Knead it for a few minutes by hand until it becomes a rather compact dough.
5. Wrap tightly closed muslin and steam 25 minutes over medium-high heat.
6. Unwrap it while it’s still hot to prevent the fabric from sticking to the dough. You can keep it in the fridge in a tightly closed container, it will last 3-4 days. It can also be frozen (up to 6 months).
7. This seitan is very good as a substitute for meat in soups and stews. Also for skewers and stir-fries.