Easiest Seitan (vegan Chicken) with Noodles

I just love to try new things and also like to eat soy based products but its not always cheap , sometimes its expensive and turns out didn't like the flavor or texture or something else. But this is the easiest and quick way to make seitan and from what I made , I freeze the other half so economically also its better. Some of the recipes with washed dough is taking longer and I didn't have that time to wait so for me this is perfect.

You can just make seitan, steamed it and pan fry it and add the sauce and enjoy it with rice or noodles but I wanted to make just one dish so I have added noodles with some vegetables and make a dish out of it. 

You have to steamed the seitan , not boiled so that is the only thing is must. you can store it extra seitan after its steamed and cooled down. 

I will play with that saved one later on. 

so lets  start making this one.

Ingredients :

For Seitan :

3/4 cup (12 tbsp.) vital wheat gluten

2/3 cup (10 tbsp. ) water

1/4 cup AP flour

1 tsp. vegetarian bullion powder

1/2 tbsp. onion powder, garlic powder each

Salt as per taste

1/2 tbsp. red pepper flakes

For the sauce : 

3 tbsp. Sambal oleak (or as per your spice level, you can use Thai sweet chili sauce too)

3 tbsp. Oyster sauce

2 tbsp. Dark soy sauce

2 tbsp. water

1 tsp. Vinegar

1 tbsp. spicy or regular sesame oil

2 tbsp. oil

For the noodles 

1 package of Fresh noodles - cook and keep it on side as per instructions

1 onion cut in long slices

1 yellow pepper cut in long slices

4-5 mushrooms cut in length wise

1 bok choy cut in pieces

1 medium carrot cut in pieces

4 garlic cloves cut it finely

1 green onion chopped

Method : 

Put the steamer on with water in it to boil.

on a steamer dish , where you are going to put the seitan to steam , brush it with oil.

In a bowl, add vital wheat gluten, AP flour, spices and salt and mix it , add water and mix it and make a ball of the dough, It will be quick.

Take the dough and make a bite size pieces and put it on greased plate. Make sure pieces are small because after steaming it will be big and you don't want too big pieces. 

Don't over crowd the plate and over lap it too. Cover it and steamed it for 10 minutes. 

In meanwhile, mix all ingredients except oil in a small bowl and keep it aside.

Once the seitan is ready, heat a pan with oil in it. 

Add those steamed pieces inside in single layer in pan with the help of tongs or forks. Cook from all sides till its nice brown and crispy.

Take it out from the pan.

If you need more oil just add 1 tbsp. oil. 

Add garlic and sauté for few seconds. Then add all the vegetables and cook for 4-5 minutes. 

Add seitan and noodles and mix it along with vegetables. 

Add the sauce and mix it nicely so it coat with vegetables and noodles. 

Taste it and  adjust the seasoning. 

Sprinkle green onions on top 

Enjoy it .

You can skip the noodles and add the sauce once seitan is browned from all the sides and when sauce is heated thru  , you can serve it with white rice and enjoy it too. 

 

Eggplant Unagi - Vegan

As per the  Wikipedia,  Unagi don is a dish from Japan. It consists of large bowl filled with steamed white rice and topped with fillets of eel grilled in a Japanese style Kabayaki , very similar to Teriyaki. Those fillets are glazed with sweet soy sauce and caramelized over charcoal fire. But with this Vegan version Eggplant is perfect to give fish kind of texture and look. You can use tofu also but I just love any kind of Eggplants so I go with Eggplant. You can make the sauce and cooked both side of 

eggplant , applying sauce on both sides and its done. 

You can long purple eggplant for this and make sure when you flip you don't break the skin , since presentation is also very important. You can roast or bake the eggplant too. But I like stove top method best. 

Ingredients : 

2 Long Chinese or Japanese purple eggplant

Sesame Seeds

Cooked rice

Oil

Sauce 

3 tbsp. Mirin

1/3 cup of hot water

2 tbsp. light soy sauce

1 tbsp. maple syrup

1/2 tsp. sugar

Method :

In a bowl, add mirin, hot water, light soy sauce , maple syrup and mix it. and keep it aside.

Trim off the eggplant top , then cut into 4 or 5 inch sections, Steam over high heat until tender about 8 to 10 minutes. 

Once the eggplant is cooked and cooled down, use a sharp knife to cut it open like a book but careful not to cut thru skin. 

Then make another slit on the right and then left. Now score the flesh to create a holder for the sauce.

Heat a non stick pan with oil over medium heat.

Put the cut side down and pan fry till its golden brown 

Apply the sauce one tbsp. at a time

Then flit again so now flesh is at the bottom  of the pan and taking all the sauce while you are applying sauce on the skin. 

To serve you can roast some scallions or bok choi or spinach or any greens in little oil and salt or you can skip that too and just eat the rice and eggplant

To assemble, put cooked rice in a bowl , top it with eggplant and drizzle with extra sauce and garnished with sesame seeds and enjoy. I had some fried rice leftovers so I used that one.

Pad Krapow - Stir Fried Thai Basil - Vegan from Impossible burger

So I have made same dish  but Gluten Free Thai Basil Tofu Stir Fry - (Pad Krapow) and with tofu. But I wanted to try it make it with impossible burger patties, If you dont have that you can use soy granules too. Just soaked them in hot water and then take it out and remove water from it and use it in the recipe. This is such quick and flavorful dish that by using one pan you can make it and by the time your rice will be done too. I have added more spice but you can adjust as per your taste. This recipe includes Thai Basil which is a must, Thai green or red chilies and what ever other vegetables you like to use, just add one or two vegetables since the flavor comes from the granules and sauce. Leftover is easy to store in fridge and you can heat up in the microwave it.

Ingredients :

2 burger patties (defrosted)

6-7 green beans cut in big pieces

5 small Portobello mushroom cut in lengthwise

2 green onions white and green separates

few pieces of celery

2 Thai green chilies cut in small pieces 

1 cup vegetable stock

1/2 cup fresh Thai Basil

1 medium sized onion cut in length wise

4 garlic cloves

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. Fresh grated ginger

1 tbsp. Chili flakes

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 tbsp. Vegan fish sauce

2 tbsp. Oil

Method:

In  a pan , add oil and sauté onion, garlic and ginger on high heat until its softened.

Add the granules and chili flakes and stir well and cook over medium high heat for a few minutes

Add the vegetables and green chili  and cook for 2-3 minutes. 

Now add stock and soy sauce, brown sugar, fish sauce and cook till you get nice thick sauce . 

Add basil too.

Check the seasoning and adjust it if necessary. 

Serve hot with jasmine rice or plain rice.

Kashmiri Corn Methi without Chaman (Paneer)

This recipe is from Kashmir so it doesn't have that much spices since Kashmiri people don't use that much spices since its not available there but with minimum spices also Kashmiri dishes are very delicious and tempting. This is their most famous Methi Chaman - Methi means Fenugreek leaves and Chaman means Paneer but instead of paneer I have used Corn , you can use paneer, tofu in it. Just fry the paneer , tofu in pinch of hing and once done frying , keep it in water again with hing in it and add it when I mentioned to add corn. It will be same restaurant quality dish at home in no time. You can serve it with paratha or roti or rice. 

Ingredients :

1 bunch pluck, washed and finely chopped methi leaves

1 medium size onion

10 pieces of Cashews

pinch of Turmeric powder

pinch of Red chili powder

1 tbsp. Fennel seed powder (sauf Powder)

1 tbsp.  each chopped ginger, garlic and green chilies

salt as per taste

1/4 cup corn , boiled in hot water with salt and hing

2 tbsp. beaten curd / coconut yogurt / vegan yogurt

1 tbsp. oil

Method :

Keep methi leaves pluck, washed and finely chopped. take  out all the water from it. 

In a pan, add one cup of water, add chopped onion and cashews in it and boiled for 10 minutes.

Cool it down completely and then if it has the water in it , with the same water make a fine puree of it. If water is gone, add more water to make a fine paste.

Add oil in the pan. 

Add ginger, garlic and chili and sauté for a minute or two till it cooks. Add chopped methi and cook till its almost dry and cooked.

Add the puree and mix it with methi. Cashews has tendency to stick to the bottom so continuously stir it. If you think your gravy is too thick, add little water and cook it. 

Add salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, fennel seed powder and mix it.

Remember we don't want too yellow or red  in color so not more than pinch of these both spices. Just more of Fennel seed powder.

Add corn and mix it again.

Add beaten curd and cook it till its nicely mix in. 

Keep on stirring when all masala are cooked, its ready.

Serve warm with paratha, rice or roti , naan.

Vegan Filipino Soy Curls BBQ with Dipping sauce

It's a BBQ season here and we make it with vegetables, tofu , Vegan sausages, burgers and everything but still something was missing, it was that sticky, juicy, spicy, sweet chicken pieces on sticks which is always fun to eat at BBQ. So why not to create that with Soy curls and have it? so made it and every one loved it. You don't have to put it in stick, just have it in plate and serve it with your favorite spicy, sweet , tangy sauce. This is very common street food in Philippines. It goes well with plain rice too.

Ingredients :

2 cups  Warm  vegetable broth 

1/2 cube of vegan bouillon

2 cups of soy curls

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tbsp. chopped garlic

2 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tbsp. Lemon juice

2 tbsp. White vinegar

1 tbsp. Vegan oyster sauce

1 tbsp. Sesame oil

1 tbsp. Sriracha or garlic pepper sauce

1/2 tbsp. black pepper powder

 

Method:

In a big bow,  Add the warm broth  and mix the bouillon. 

Add everything except soy curls and mix it. 

When its mixed add soy curls and marinate for 30 minutes. I did it for 8 hours you can do it overnight too. 

When its time to cook, Take a cast iron skillet and add 1 tbsp. oil in it. 

With the help of spoon / tongs what ever works with you, remove the curls from bowl and put it in skillet. Reserve the marinate in the bowl.

Cook the soy curls till its dry. 

Now begin adding marinade , 1/2 cup at a time and cook. Make sure the broth cooks and evaporates completely then only add another 1/2 cup marinade. 

Don't fasten the process by adding everything in one batch or without cooking all of the liquid add more. 

By slowly adding and cooking you will get that nice brown color with all the sauces in the broth. 

You can continue till all the marinade is done and you can get your desired brown color. 

Take out all the curls in plate and you can that time serve it along with dipping sauce.

Or when its little cold to handle,  you can put it on skewers and enjoy it with rice and dipping sauce

Dipping sauce recipe :

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tbsp. White vinegar

2 tbsp. water

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1-2 tsp. sugar as per your taste

1 Thai spicy pepper finely chopped

1 tbsp. finely chopped red onion

Mix everything and let it stand for 3-4 hours to get the best results. You can make this when you make the marinade so its taste good.

 

Adapted from Vegan Filipino Barbecue - Sweet Simple Vegan