What is seitan and how can it be cooked?
Have you tried seitan? It is a plant based protein and it feels fun. This almost-neutral mild-tasting ingredient can be shredded and/or flavoured to feel like the meaty equivalents. It’s great for vegans or anyone who is interested in a meat-free meal. You could eat seitan as part of Veganuary, Meat-Free Mondays or at any time.
Seitan can be cooked as am vegan meat alternative. Image: iStock/Getty
What is seitan?
Seitan is made from gluten. The BBC explains, “Wheat is made up of starches, bran and gluten, when wheat is ground to flour, the starch and bran can be removed, leaving behind the gluten. Wheat gluten has a stretchy, elastic property; it’s what helps bread to rise and gives it its chewy texture.” Of course, it is best to choose a different high-protein whole plant food if you are avoid gluten for any reason.
How to cook shredded seitan
Although you could make your own seitan, there is a quicker way. I get Suzy Spoon’s shredded seitan from Doorstep Organics. It arrives frozen. I leave it in the fridge for a day or two for defrosting before cooking this up. You might find this seitan elsewhere only chilled and not frozen. I peel or further shred the chunks of seitan. Heat up a frying pan to medium or a bit higher. Some sort of non-stick would be ideal. Add a tablespoon of oil. My preference is olive oil. Then simply fry up the seitan shreds as desired until they feel cooked and maybe even crispy. If I want more flavour, I would then splash tamari and maple syrup onto the tempeh until the flavoured outside is just cooked enough.
A little example of home-cooked shredded seitan
Here is a simple wrap I made for lunch. More fillings can be prepped for other meals.
Crispy shredded seitan can be easy to cook.
It goes well in wraps. Alternatively, cook it more softly and enjoy with pasta.
These chunks of seitan might look plain but they can be transformed into meals that have interesting textures. Image: iStock/Getty
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