Seasoned Seitan “Steak”

This High Protein Steak Seitan is actually really easy to make and since it can be used in a ton of different ways, it’s great for meal prepping. Admittedly, I haven’t eaten meat since 2000, so my memory on steak is a bit fuzzy. I had my now vegan partner try this (multiple times) and he said it’s close enough that I can call it steak, so blame him if you disagree. 🙂

This seitan is easy to make because we use vital wheat gluten, which means that the most time you actually spend doing stuff in the kitchen will be kneading the dough. The rest of the time, you will mostly be waiting for it to steam and cool so you can enjoy it!

If you’re looking for some more recipes that use vital wheat gluten, be sure to check out my pumpkin spice seitan, cinnamon sugar donut holes, and high protein bread!

Ingredients

• Extra Firm Silken Tofu – I typically buy Mori-Nu Extra Firm Silken Tofu, but honestly, any silken tofu will work great. If you’re new to silken tofu, you can typically find it in the International Food Isle at most grocery stores or at Asian grocery stores (in the US). Since it’s a shelf-stable ingredient, you can also buy it online.
• Black Beans – I love black beans for this recipe because it add colors and flavor. I use canned beans, but feel free to use dried if that’s your preference.
• Vital Wheat Gluten – I would highly recommend weighing this ingredient. It’s typically much more dense than what is listed on the nutritional label, so if you’re just using measuring cups, you will likely end up with way more than you think you have. This can result in the recipe not turning out right, as well as the calories being higher than expected.
• Nutritional Yeast – it adds a nice umami flavor to the steak seitan. You can find this at most grocery stores and because it’s shelf stable, you can also buy it online.
• Taco Seasoning, Onion Powder – these are the seasonings I use to create a steak-y flavor. Feel free to adjust if there’s something else you think will be good!

Instructions

• Drain and rinse your canned beans.
• In a food processor, blend up the silken tofu, black beans, water, nutritional yeast, taco seasoning and onion powder, until well mixed. This should end up being a similar texture to a bean dip.

• Move the tofu/bean mixture to a large bowl, and add the vital wheat gluten. Mix by hand with a spatula or wooden spoon.

• The Seitan dough will be pretty sticky at first. On a silicone mat, the counter or parchment paper, knead the dough for 7 – 10 minutes. It will get much more tough as you knead it, and less sticky. I like to even set a timer, because it can feel like a lifetime.
• Once the dough is ready, I like to divide into a few sections. This is because my steaming basket is pretty small but if you have a large one, you may not need to. When I do it, I end up with 6 loaf-like shapes.

• Tightly wrap each life in parchment paper.

• Tightly wrap each parchment paper-wrapped loaf with aluminum foil. This will keep the seitan from expanding in the steamer basket. It keeps the seitan more dense and keeps it from forming air pockets that push it more to the bread-like texture.

• In a steaming basket/steamer, cook the seitan for 35 minutes. This may vary, depending on what you’re using and how big of hunks you’re cooking. The way to tell it’s done is that when you cut it in half, it shouldn’t be wet and sticky on the inside.

• Let it rest for about 30 minutes before cutting it or using it!

You can saute it in some vegan butter and just eat it plain (or dip it in sauce).

Or you can thinly slice it and use it on sandwiches, wraps, etc.!

Or cut it up into chunks and use in this steak and egg wrap!

Silly Little Haiku

High Protein Seitan Steak

Vital wheat gluten is cool

Sweet and savory