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How To Make Vegan Meat From Flour

Vegan meat is made from a combination of two ingredients.: flour and water. The flour is kneaded and washed repeatedly...

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V egan meat is made from a combination of two ingredients.: flour and water. The flour is kneaded and washed repeatedly with water until it runs clear. This way the starch from the flour is slowly removed. This is also called Seitan, which is popular vegan meat that you may have heard of. But did you know that Seitan goes back to 6th Century China where the Thai method was used to make noodles and all sorts of other vegetarian meals?

Sure, seitan can be store-bought now, but making it at home gives it an amazing texture that can not be found in-store-bought varieties. Making at home might require a lot of effort and time between the rest periods but it is definitely cheaper and yummier. This method can be used to create an alternative for ham, pepperoni, turkey, or chicken.

The recipe below makes 4 servings of vegan chicken meat.

Ingredients

9 cups flour
3 cups water
2-liter broth of choice

Instructions

Initial Dough

Combine the water into the flour in a bowl and mix until combined.
Empty the bowl on the counter and knead until a smooth ball is formed. The dough should bounce back when poked with a finger.
This can take up to 10 to 15 minutes of kneading depending on how well it is kneaded.
Place the ball in a bowl and cover it with cold water and let it rest for a maximum of two hours.

Flour Washing

Replace the water in the bowl after resting, with cold water.
Start kneading the dough in the water until the water turns cloudy and opaque.
When the water has become thick due to the starch releasing from the flour, add more water into the bowl until the ball is covered and repeat the process. This should be repeated three to four times until the water is just slightly cloudy and the flour is spongy.
Drain the water and squeeze the flour to remove excess water. Let the dough sit in a strain for a maximum of 30 minutes to let it further drain.

Seasoning Seitan

The seasoning can be done using based on the person’s choice.

Turmeric is highly recommended as a ¼ teaspoon will help it give some color.
Basic seasonings would be salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder
For a little kick, add paprika.
Mushroom powder can be added for a certain earthy umami taste.
To give the vegan meat a smoky kick, a couple of drops of liquid smoke go a long way.
There are plenty of other flavor profiles that can be used such as buffalo sauce, which all comes after the initial cooking process is completed and the dough has rested.

Cooking Vegan Meat

Heat the broth of choice in a pot on low, letting it slowly come to a simmer.
After the vegan meat is also known as seitan, it rested in the strainer for 20 minutes. Remove and place on the counter and cut into 3 equal pieces.
Stretch the pieces out into even lengths and braid the 3 pieces together into one long log.
Cut the braid into 4 pieces and stretch each piece out, tying it into a knot until a round shape is created.
Take a pan and add 4 tablespoons of oil and let it heat up.
Once the oil has heated, sear the seitan pieces in the oil until a golden color starts developing.
Add the knotted seitan pieces into the pot of broth and cover with a lid.
Let it continue simmering for a maximum of one hour to make sure the balls are cooked completely through, otherwise, they can remain doughy.
After an hour, remove from heat and let the vegan meat cool in the broth for 10 to 20 minutes.
Remove and strain the meat completely and use as pleased.

Tips

Any flour that has gluten present can be used. Nut flours such as almond flour will not produce these results as gluten helps get the dough stretchy.
All-purpose flour or any flour with at least 10% gluten or protein content will work.
Letting the seitan chill overnight in the same broth helps develop the flavors even further as the broth gets soaked into the seitan.

Knowing how to make vegan meat from flour is a start. This can be used as the base to create many meals with other delicious ingredients like broccolli, potatoes, carrots, and more!