Can you make this seitan in advance?

I love this recipe because it's easy to batch cook in advance. Once your seitan is cooked, allow to completely cool and then store the extras in an airtight container to store in the fridge to use in meals throughout the week.

My seitan is mushy, how do I fix it?

Check to see the thickness of your seitan. If it's too thick, it likely didn't have enough time to cook through. You can place your seitan in the oven to bake at 350F for 10 minutes to help it firm up. I find the seitan will be mushy as well if I don't press firmly on the seitan as it cooks. Pressing down on it will give the center more exposure to the heat, which will help it cook through evenly.

Seitan is high in plant based protein and provides both iron and selenium. It's filling and often helps those that miss the chewy textures of meats with their meals. One thing to note with seitan is that it is not a rich-source of the amino acid lysine, so it's still a good idea to vary up the types of plant-based proteins you use regularly.

Easy Homemade Seitan Stir-Fry

Name: Easy Homemade Seitan Stir-Fry
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup vital wheat gluten; 1 tsp dry thyme; 1 tsp coriander; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, optional; 2 tbsp nutritional yeast; 1 tbsp soy sauce or coconut aminos; 2 tbsp tahini or natural peanut butter; 3/4 cup vegetable broth; 1-2 tbsp avocado oil or other neutral oil; 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets; 1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped; 1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped; 1/4 cup soy sauce or coconut aminos; 2 tbsp maple syrup; 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar; 1 tbsp hoisin sauce; 1 tsp garlic chili sauce; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp ginger powder; 2 tsp sesame oil; 1 tsp corn starch

Description

An easy homemade seitan used in a flavorful maple sesame vegetable stir-fry. No baking or steaming needed for making the seitan, and it’s perfectly chewy and high in plant protein.

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup vital wheat gluten
1 tsp dry thyme
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp fennel seeds, optional
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp soy sauce or coconut aminos
2 tbsp tahini or natural peanut butter
3/4 cup vegetable broth
1–2 tbsp avocado oil or other neutral oil
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped

Stir-Fry Sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce or coconut aminos
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp garlic chili sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ginger powder
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp corn starch

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Instructions

In a bowl, combine your gluten, thyme, coriander, garlic, fennel seeds, and nutritional yeast and give a good whisk.
To a separate mug, combine the nut butter, soy sauce and vegetable broth and mix really well to combine. Add the liquid to the dry mix and fold together to form a dough. Carefully knead your seitan for a minute to make sure all the ingredients are fully combined.
To the same mug you mixed your broth in, add your stir-fry sauce ingredients and whisk to fully combine, making sure there are no lumps, then set aside.
Place your seitan on a cutting board and thinly slice your seitan into strips.
Heat a large sauté pan up over a medium low heat with some oil. Once the pan is hot, place the strips in a single layer in the pan without overcrowding. Allow to heat and brown for about 2-3 minutes and then flip to the other side. Using a spatula, carefully press firmly down on the seitan pieces to help cook the inside of the seitan.
Once the opposite side is browned, continue sautéing the seitan on a low heat for an additional 5 minutes to ensure that the seitan has cooked through then remove the seitan from the pan to cook the vegetables.
Add extra oil to the pan if needed and add in your vegetables with a pinch of salt. Sauté until the vegetables have softened, about 3-4 minutes.
Add your seitan back in with the vegetables and pour in the stir-fry sauce and stir to combine. Allow the sauce to thicken until nice and glossy, then remove from heat and serve.

Notes

Don’t over knead your seitan. You just need to knead your seitan for about a minute to incorporate all the ingredients together. Over kneading will lead your seitan to be really tough and firm.

Since we are not steaming or baking, we want to make sure that the seitan is fully cooked to avoid any mushy texture in the center. The best way to ensure this is to cut your seitan thin. If it’s too thick, you will sear both sides, but the inside will still be mushy.

Cook your seitan low and slow and when you flip it, use your spatula to press your seitan close to the heat, so it cooks all the way through. Avoid high temperatures as it will sear the outside, but still leave the inside mushy.

Continue to sauté your seitan after it appears that the seitan has seared. If you press the seitan and it feels too soft, it needs more time to cook. Keep on the lowest heat setting and toss occasionally to help continue to firm it up and prevent it from burning.

Don’t over crowd your pan. You need your seitan to be in continuous contact with the pan, so it cooks through evenly. So either use a large skillet or cook your seitan in batches.