Have you ever eaten Seitan?
Pronounced “sey-tan”, as in “say, you look tan.”
Seitan.
I stopped eating meat in early 2007, and even though it’s a “meatless meal” substitute, it wasn’t until this year that I’d ever tried the stuff.
My first time was at a veg friendly restaurant, and it was one of the dinner specials. When the waitress described it, she said it was made out of wheat gluten, is high in protein (120 calories, 2 g fat, 21 g protein per serving!) and its texture is a lot like meat.
She also said it was really good.
Whoa. Did you say “really good”? Well why didn’t you say so sooner!! Really good!! Bring on the satan! I mean, seitan.
Now see, I’m not a giant fan of the “fake meats” or “meat like substitutes”. When we first stopped eating meat I’d use these sorts of a substitutes a lot. But as I’ve learned to cook, I’ve come to depend on these types of food products less and less.
But I mean… wheat gluten? Really? The stuff that so many people have dietary trouble with? The stuff that Wikipedia describes as “an elastic mass”?
Yup, that’s the stuff. I’m glad the waitress didn’t use the term “elastic mass” to describe it to me that night, because that just doesn’t scream “really good” to me.
But you know what? That waitress was right. It was really good.
So while I don’t buy seitan a lot, it does sometimes end up in the shopping cart. It’s a fast meal option and I do appreciate its protein content. One of my favorites ways to serve seitan is over shredded Brussels sprouts.
Seitan is typically precooked, so all you have to do is heat it up. Tonight I sauteed it in a little Annie’s BBQ sauce, Braggs amino acid, Tabasco and a little garlic powder.
As soon as the Brussels sprouts are ready,
it’s time to eat.
Elastic for Two.
Wheat gluten, fake meat or not, we like it. The texture is enjoyable and is very much like meat. If you’re looking to eat less meat or like me, are veg and have just never tried the stuff; take that waitress’s word on it:
It’s really good.
That does look really good. If you had to pick which meat it most tastes like, which one would it be? Maybe not any?
I would say it most reminds me of beef! More so in texture than flavor though.
Oddly, I too went the route of deciding that ‘fake meats’ weren’t the thing for us. Occasionally, I’ll add tofu or tempeh to a dish, but for the most part I learned to cook differently.
Seitan was one we really didn’t like way back then… I’ve seen lots of people bringing it up in recent years. I wonder if they have improved it in the last 10 years, like they have with fake cheese (which I also don’t use often).
Ooooo I haven’t had shredded Brussels sprouts in awhile… mmmmmm. You didn’t steer me wrong with the Brussels sprouts, I guess that means I can take your word (and the waitress’s word) that seitan is worth trying again.
I haven’t seen it in a box like that (pre-made), I’ll have to keep an eye out. Keep refrigerated… so does that mean you found it in the refrigerator section?
yup, yup, the refrigerator case!
The flavor of plain seitan is a little weird, which is why the right sauce/marinade combo make a huge difference!