Seitan Fried ‘Chicken’

Method:

First we make the Seitan dough. If you don’t like seitan, you can follow the same recipe using cubes of tofu. If you use tofu, skip to step 7.

Step 1: Blend together the tofu, soy milk and soy sauce.

Step 2: In a large bowl add the vital wheat gluten, flour, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and dried sage, mix together with a wooden spoon.

Step 3: Add the blended wet ingredients to the bowl and stir until a dough starts to form

Step 4: Remove the dough from the bowl and begin to knead the dough on a hard surface. You’ll must knead the dough for at least 5-10 minutes, or it will be a spongy texture. I like to pound the dough.

Step 5: When you finish kneading the dough, break off about 6-8 pieces, and flatten them out into ‘fillet’ shapes. Let it these pieces sit for 10 minutes while you prepare the broth.

Next we will prepare the broth. A good broth is the key to good, flavourful seitan, never skip the broth, as this is the most important part in the cooking process.

Step 6: In a large pot add your vegetable stock, onion, salt and pepper and bring to a boil, and then reduce to a medium heat before adding the seitan pieces. Make sure the broth does not boil, but keep it at a medium heat to simmer for 1 hour.

Step 7: Now we will prepare the ‘buttermilk’. As I mentioned you can use ONE of the following: 500ml coconut cream, 1 block silken tofu or 500ml soy milk + juice of one lemon. In this recipe I have used silken tofu which I have mashed into a paste with a fork in a large mixing bowl.

Step 8: Prepare your coating by mixing the flour, herbs and spices in a bowl.

Step 9: Remove your seitan pieces from the broth and let them cool for 10-15 minutes. You can also leave them in the fridge overnight to fry the next day.

Step 10: Fully submerge all your seitan pieces in the ‘buttermilk’, and one by one, evenly coat each piece in the flour mix.

Step 11: In a large frying pan, add ½ a cup of vegetable oil on a high heat. There are a few choices for the frying method here, you can deep fry or even bake the pieces in the oven for an oil free option. I like to shallow fry as it gets a nice crispy result, without using litres of oil.

Step 12: Add all your coated seitan pieces to the pan and cook until golden on each side. This is roughly 2-3 minutes on each side, or longer if needed.

Lastly, remove all your seitan pieces from the pan, and serve with salads of your choice. Coleslaw is a great option, especially with some pickles. Or you can do a classic potato and gravy combo. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

This recipe serves 2-3 people, but you can multiply the recipe easily to feed more!

Seitan dough:

1 cup tofu

½ cup soy milk

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp dried sage

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 cup of Vital Wheat Gluten

¼ cup flour

1 tsp salt

Dough broth:

1 litre vegetable stock

1 onion quartered

T tbsp thyme

Salt, pepper

Coating:

300g flour

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp Onion powder

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Buttermilk options:

Choose ONE of the following options:

500ml coconut cream

1 block silken tofu, mashed

500ml soy milk + juice of one lemon

½ cup of vegetable oil for frying