Easy Seitan: slices, roasts, wheat ‘meatballs’

Seitan – or gluten – is the original meat alternative. This tasty dish originated in China hundreds if not thousands of years ago as a food for vegetarian Buddhist monks. It has since percolated round the Far East, eg Japan and Vietnam and is now used widely in contemporary Western veggie and vegan food.

High in protein, low in fat, and dense in texture, it lends itself to all sorts of dishes, including stir fries, ‘steaks’, deli slices for sandwiches, meat balls/chunks and more.

While it is an excellent source of protein, it is pure gluten so best not eaten more than once a week – it’s always good to include as wide a variety of foods as possible, eg pulses, tofu, nuts, wholegrains, vegetables, fruit and the like. Obviously, seitan is unsuitable for the gluten or wheat intolerant.

Shopping tips

• Ready-prepared gluten flour (also known as vital gluten or vital wheat gluten flour) is available from some health food shops or else online from stores such as BuyWholefoodsOnline; Veggie Stuff and Realfoods (who sell an organic version). Ebay also carries a range of prices and brands!
• Engevita nutritional yeast flakes are available from Holland & Barrett, independent health food shops and Ocado or the above sites.

We’ve also seen both products on Amazon! As you’ll see, it’s worth shopping around to get the best deal. It can be a very economical dish to make.

Do I need to make so much?!
No – this recipe is easily halved or even quartered. But remember, it freezes well so if you’ve got the space it’s a brilliant core ingredient for many recipes.

If you’d like to try it before making a batch, ready-mader versions are sold here
– Health food shops: Yakso or Lima brands – jars. Usually organic.
– Oriental supermarkets: brands such as Rolin; Wu Chung or Mong Lee Chang – sold in different varieties such as gluten; mock chicken; mock duck. Tinned and very good value.