Spicy Baked Vegan Popcorn Seitan Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What does boiling seitan do? ›

Boiling seitan makes it have a brainy spongey texture, frying seitan (without first steaming it) makes it rubbery and spongey, baking it makes it dry and rubbery. Steaming seitan, on the other hand, will yield the perfect meaty, juicy, chewy, yet tender seitan every single time.

When you simmer seitan, it's a great opportunity to give your seitan more flavor, by making a strong and flavorful broth. As the seitan cooks, the cooking liquid will impart more flavor into your seitan.

• ALWAYS LET YOUR SEITAN REST

Unless you prefer it super tender/soft, most seitan recipes should account for some extra time to rest in the fridge after cooking, usually about 8 hours or overnight. This helps to firm up the texture and and provide “meatier” results.

While the water simmers in the pot, you'll want to add the seitan to the steaming basket. Doing so will allow the seitan to develop a pleasant texture that is neither too soft nor firm.

While seitan is a versatile plant-based protein, people with celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, or gluten allergy should avoid it.

“Eat it sparingly,” he says. “It's not necessarily a once a day thing, and if you think you need a plant-based option I'd actually suggest tofu over seitan.” That said, Mora says there's no denying that folks can benefit from adding seitan to their menu—especially since it comes in a variety of flavor profiles.

Digestive Discomfort: Seitan is high in protein and can cause digestive discomfort in some people, especially if consumed in large quantities or if the digestive system is not used to high-protein foods.

In those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance, eating seitan can cause adverse side effects like swelling, abdominal pain, diarrhea and cramps. It's also not considered a complete protein and needs to be paired with a well-balanced diet to ensure you're getting the amino acids that you need.

It is the only way to get it nice and tightly wrapped and get a good steam in the oven. I suggest if you don't want the foil touching the food, to first wrap it in parchment paper then foil. The foil can be reused many times to avoid waste.

Why is my seitan so rubbery? ›

Meat needs sufficient time and temperature to transform the collagen into gelatin. If removed from the heat too soon, the connective tissue will remain intact. The steak may appear juicier when rare, but can have a chewy, sinewy texture.

chickpea flour - This tenderizes the seitan by disrupting the gluten formation. You can also use other types, such as oat flour or all-purpose. nutritional yeast - Adds umami and also helps tenderize the seitan.

Don't let it dry out – If you overcook seitan, it will become tough, chewy and dry, which is not what you want!

I some times add a tablespoon of potato starch or cornstarch, this adds consistency without making it too rubbery or hard (don't knead as much).

How Often to Eat Seitan. As Churchill pointed out, it's about finding the perfect balance when incorporating seitan into your diet. “Eat it sparingly,” he says. “It's not necessarily a once a day thing, and if you think you need a plant-based option I'd actually suggest tofu over seitan.”

Tips for Cooking Seitan

It's already cooked, so it only needs to be heated until it's the same temperature as the rest of your dish. As long as you are using a moist cooking method, you can take your time to infuse flavors into the seitan. With dry cooking methods you'll want to be quick.