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Originally I copied the recipe from this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGf6e6M8K80&t=108s
but found that using yeast resulted in a very light dough which puffed up hugely in the fryer - although it did go back down once out, the texture wasn't really meaty enough for me, so second attempt I omitted the yeast
basic recipe for the seitan
for Seitan:
340 gram/1 cup of Vital wheat gluten flour
1 tablespoon Marigold Engervita yeast flakes
seasoning (I used two teaspoons cajun seasoning, a really good helping of black pepper from a mill, and a pinch of salt)for fried coating:
bowl of plain flour big enough to coat cooked pieces in
seasoning to taste - salt and loads of black pepper - season-all - cajun seasoning - all the seasoning basically!!
buttermilk or vegan alternative for 'washing' pieces in before coatingadd approx 1 cup/236 Ml water (with one tablespoon liquid aminos or dark soy sauce added to the water) to the flour mix slowly and mix in until dough begins to form, keeping an eye on water as you add it - you might not need it all
once you've got your dough knead it for a good three mins - most Seitan recipes say you shouldn't over knead, but I find if you do it results in firmer texture
break it up into roughly 4-6 pieces depending on how big you want your chicken burgers - or could do several pieces in filet/strip style if preferred
I experimented with same batch, different cooking methods - one I steamed in tightly wrapped kitchen foil for 30 mins - one I just put into boiling broth (litre of water with two large tablespoons of Marigold Swiss Vegetable Bouillon powder) and once in, simmered for approx 30 mins. At first these two burgers swelled instantly and became very 'brains' like in look, although once breaded and deep fried, both methods produced almost identical taste and texture
once out of steamer/simmering water wash in milk and coat liberally in flour mix and deep fry in rapeseed oil for 2 mins ish or until golden brown - drain on kitchen paper
EB-
Hey, thanks a lot.
That video is so nice, I like her..Also thanks for your additional thoughts, appreciate it.
Actually I'm not that big on fried food, but had an appetite for it lately, and will definitely try this out soon!
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Bloody hell! You could have warned me...! Whilst I've eaten seitan out of a packet I'd never made it before. It was a bit of a surprise. Firstly kneading it was like having a fight with Stretch Armstrong - how strong is this stuff? I really didn't expect that- I ended up cutting it with a knife as ripping it wasn't very controlled. Secondly you do say it expands but for the uninitiated it more than doubles in size which was a bit or a surprise. It made for a really hefty portion (I've had to put the rest in the fridge and I'll do a second batch even though I used a little over half the amount of flour).
Overall thought it was really interesting and thanks for posting the recipe. There's nothing better than having tried and tested recipes like this. I really liked the taste and the coating reminded me of the nice quorn vegan burger things they make (which I like). The only thing I'm not sure I got right is the texture. Mine was really rubbery. It seemed different to the prepared seitan I've eaten. Any tips? Am I doing something wrong? Was that down to over kneading perhaps?
Also where can you get vital wheat gluten for cheap? It's so bloody expensive!
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Intend to try that / your recipe today, wanted to ask:
- do you think the cajun seasoning fits the soy sauce? Sounds kind of weird to me.
- what for do you wash the simmered pieces in milk, before deep-frying?
- do you have a recommended vegan sauce / dip for these?
Thanks in advance!
- do you think the cajun seasoning fits the soy sauce? Sounds kind of weird to me.
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Coming back to the "chicken" recipe @EB posted and adapted -
https://youtu.be/aGf6e6M8K80?t=1m19s
Have just done this again, with pretty good results.
Like EB I don't use yeast as I want to have a firm dough and the pieces puff up enough already when being simmered.
I changed the recipe a bit, adjusting to available spices & personal preference:
1 cup vital wheat gluten / seitan fix
2 tablespoons yeast flakes (instead of one)
1 tablespoon each: thyme, hot paprika, cumin, garlic powder (instead of cajun seasoning), fresh pepper
1 cup water with 1 (or two) tablespoons of soy sauceLike EB said I kept an eye on the water, never needed the whole cup.
Today I intentionally made the dough a bit too dry (kneading for a good while dough still showed little "cracks" as is wasn't saturated), as I thought this might benefit texture as well.Every time I made this I went for "nuggets" rather than burgers / filet strips, rather small, like conkers.
I let them simmer in overspiced broth (two times what it says on the tin) on really low heat for 30 mins, then bread and deep-fry them.
The dry dough did not improve texture much, but some of the nuggets fell apart during breading / frying so can't recommend that.I put kurkuma in the breading for the taste and also the nice yellow colour.
I used a mixture of regular flour and "Paniermehl" ("breading flour" / "breadcrumbs").
I think gram flour would be a good idea as well!Thanks again EB.
Just had these, thrown in a huge bowl of salad and it was delicious!: ]
salad
olaf_von_pokemon
Care to share?