Homemade Seitan

Seitan is a great vegan food. Its texture and taste are wonderful and it is also very filling. You can use it to veganize any recipe that calls for chopped meat. Here is the cheapest, fastest, and easiest way to prepare it at home. You can usually use the quantity below in more than one meal. Have fun with it—play a couple of songs you love and by the time they are over, chances are you'll be done with working on the seitan.

Cooking time: 5-10 min to mix and 1 hour to simmer in broth

(based on "Vegan Vittles" by Joanne Stepaniak pp. 37-38)

Dry ingredients:
1 1/2 cups instant gluten flour (vital wheat gluten) Don't try to use other types of flour, as they are not meant for this recipe
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (you'll find it in the bulk section or packaged, the official name is "Red Star Vegetarian Support Formula")
1/2 teaspoon garlic granules or powder
1/2 teaspoon onion granules or powder
your choice of dry herbs: pinch of rosemary, marjoram, thyme, etc.

Liquid ingredients:
1/2 cup water + 1/2 cup cup tomato juice (adds "beefier" flavor)
2 teaspoons Bragg's (liquid aminos) or soy sauce
1 Tablespoon olive oil (optional)

Simmering broth:
7-10 cups water
2 vegetable bullion cubes (mix well in water)

1) put the broth (water with bullion cubes) to boil
2) in the meantime, mix all dry ingredients
3) mix the liquid ingredients separately, then add to the dry ingredients and mix with your hands
4) shape the mixture into 3 or more seitan balls
5) place the seitan balls in the boiling broth
6) simmer the broth and the seitan balls for 1 hour on low
7) place the broth and the seitan balls in the fridge in the same container with a lid

When you need seitan, cut as much as you need from the seitan balls into small pieces. You can bake the seitan, saute it, fry it, or add it to salads with no additional cooking.