Flour is Not Just for Baking: Make Vegan Meat Substitutes With It!

Flour as a vegan meat substitute! Read out to know how you can use flour to make vegan meat ...

Vegan meat is made by combining flour and water. The mixture is kneaded and washed with water until the starch from the flour has been removed. This can also be called Seitan, which many people have heard of before. However, what some might not know is that Seitan dates back to 6th Century China where it was commonly used in vegetarian dishes such as noodles.

The great thing about making seitan at home is that you can control the texture much better than with store-bought varieties. Plus, it's usually cheaper and tastier to make it yourself. This method can be used as a vegan alternative for ham, pepperoni, turkey or chicken. The recipe attached serves 4 and contains all vegan ingredients.

Ingredients

9 cups flour
3 cups water
Two-liter broth of choice

Instructions

Initial Dough

Combine the water and flour in a bowl until mixed. Then, pour it out onto a clean countertop and knead until you form a smooth ball--this could take up to 10-15 minutes. To check if the dough is ready, poke it with your finger; if the dent springs back immediately, it's good to go. Otherwise, keep kneading! Afterward, place the ball in a bowl of cold water and let sit for no longer than two hours.

Flour Washing

Replace the water in the bowl with cold water after resting. You will know when the dough is ready to be kneaded when the water turns cloudy and opaque from the starch releasing from the flour. This process should be repeated three to four times until the ball is covered and sitting in slightly cloudy, spongy water. Drain the ball of dough and squeeze it lightly to remove excess water before placing it in a strainer for no more than 30 minutes.

Seasoning Seitan

Flavor the vegan meat according to your liking. Just a 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric will do the trick in terms of coloring. As for basic seasonings, use salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder liberally. If you want a bit more spice, add paprika to taste. For an "earthy umami" flavor profile, try adding mushroom powder during cooking process.

Cooking Vegan Meat

Place a pot containing your chosen broth on low heat, letting it come to a simmer slowly. Meanwhile, after the vegan meat has rested in the strainer for 20 minutes, remove it and place it on the counter. Cut into 3 even pieces before braiding them together into one long log shape. Cut this braid into 4 equal pieces and then stretch each one out before tying it into a knot until you create a round shape. Finally, take a pan and add 4 tablespoons of oil to it before letting it heat up completely.

Heating the oil, add the seitan pieces and sear until golden.

Place the knotted seitan into a pot of broth, cover with lid and let simmer for a maximum of one hour.

After an hour, remove from heat and let cool in broth for 10 to 20 minutes.

Remove and strain completely before using as desired.

Tips

Flours that contain gluten will work best, as gluten helps to make the dough stretchy. All-purpose flour or any flour with at least 10% gluten or protein content will produce good results. Soaking the seitan overnight in broth lets the flavors meld even further, as the liquid gets absorbed.

If you want to know how to make vegan meat from flour, this is the article for you. Once you've mastered this base recipe, experiment by adding other ingredients like broccoli, potatoes, and carrots!