How to Make Seitan at Home: A DIY Seitan Recipe by Vegan Chef Avi-jean Levy

The world is divided into three groups: those who never heard about Seitan (or heard of it, but don’t know what it is), those who know what Seitan is, but wonder how does one go about making Seitan from scratch at home, and people like vegan chef Avi-Jean Levy, who are kind enough to share with us the answers to both:

Seitan is a wheat protein that can be transformed into mock meat, and is becoming increasingly popular in recent years. It poses a fantastic alternative to meat (mainly in texture, but also in flavor, if seasoned right), especially for those who are trying to focus on products that don’t contain soy.

Seitan can be made from scratch, as presented in this recipe, from either white or wholemeal flour (the white flour version works better), or via a “shortcut” method using Vital Wheat Gluten, where all the carbohydrate have already been washed away.

Here is Avi-Jean’s recipe for a DIY Seitan recipe you can make at home. The recipe is divided into two parts: in the first, the focus is on the preparation of the Seitan, and in the second the focus is on flavoring and cooking it. Enjoy!

A recipe for making Seitan at home

white flour will work better, but you can use wholemeal instead

Serves 2. For more - double up on the quantities.

Seitan ingredients:

6 Cups of flour (white flour will work better, but you can use wholemeal instead) 2 and 1/4 Cups of water 1 tsp Salt 1 tsp Garlic powder

Stew ingredients:

tbsp Olive oil 1 Carrot, sliced 3 Cups vegetable stock 1.5 tsp Mustard seeds 1 tsp Smoked Paprika powder 1.5 tsp Salt

Gradually add the water until creating the dough

2 tsp Hawaij powder 1/4 tsp Black pepper (grounded) 1/4 tsp Baharat powder 2 Garlic cloves 1/2 Chopped onion

Marination ingredients:

2 tbsp Date syrup (no added sugar) 1 tbsp Mustard 1 tsp Mustard seeds 1 tsp Peanut butter (optional) Pinch of Thyme (optional)

Garnish ingredients:

2 Garlic cloves

Take out the dough and knead until receiving a smooth texture, then roll it into a ball.

Coarse salt Pinch of Parsley and Thyme Coarse Black pepper Red and Green pepper

Seitan Preparation:

In a bowl (or in a mixer bowl), mix together the flour, garlic powder and salt.
Gradually add the water until creating the dough (make sure it doesn’t get sticky).
Knead the dough under a running tap. At first the water will be white but gradually they will become clear.
Take out the dough and knead until receiving a smooth texture. Then roll it into a ball and place in a deep bowl.
Fill the bowl with water and let the dough “rest” in it for about 2 hours.
Now it’s time to drain out the starch: knead the dough under a running tap. At first the water will be white but gradually (after about 10 mins) they will become clear. You will end up with significantly less dough, but when we’ll cook it it will become bigger again.

Add in the carrot and the spices and let simmer for 2-3 mins.

Flavoring and cooking:

At this point we will start preparing the stew in which the Seitan will be cooked in, and from which it will get its flavor.
In a pot, warm up the oil and add in the onion to simmer till golden.
Add in the carrot and the spices and let simmer for 2-3 mins.
Add in the vegetable stock and stir lightly.
Add in the Seitan and cook for 35-45 mins (make sure the Seitan swells as it cooks).
Evenly apply the marinade onto the Seitan before placing it in the oven.
When the Seitan is ready, we will take it out of the pot, and let cool for 15-20 mins.
To prevent the Seitan from flattening, we will tie it up with a string.
As the Seitan is resting, we will prepare the marinade by mixing all the marination ingredients together, and then evenly apply the marinade onto the Seitan (from all sides).
Place the Seitan in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees (c) for 15-25 mins
As the Seitan is baking, we will prepare the garnish by chopping and mixing all the garnish ingredients together and spreading them on a surface.
When the Seitan is out of the oven, roll it over the garnish and move to a serving dish.

Bon Apetite!

Avi-jean Levy – Founder and creator at Vegan Art

Switching to a vegan healthy diet about a year ago, I was pleasantly surprised at how extensively my culinary world has increased and developed. From meat and some side dish, my culinary world has expanded to a wide variety of flavors based on plants, and an endless world of possibilities based on nuts fruits and vegetables.

With the transition, I’ve discovered new ways of eating and new foods that were exciting and fascinating to me. The strong sense of creativity these feelings brought about gave life to my culinary blog and Facebook page where I get to share my creations.

Avi-jean is a Raw Vegan Chef based in Israel; offering cooking workshops, raw vegan courses, and creating vegan recipes presented in an artistic and alluring presentation. Visit his website Vegan Art and his Facebook page here.

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