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Style of Preparing Eastern Veggie with same Texture as Meat?

910 views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  cheflayne 
#1 ·
I remember reading about a veggie, or a style of tofu, or a style of veggie, that can be prepared and substituted with meat. I believe it's an Eastern style and veggie but I'm not sure. I think I know where I read it and will be doing some research. I don't think it was tofu, and it wasn't Morningstar, but looked like a ragged piece of steak, or a blackened veggie that had special curing. Has anyone else heard of an Eastern veggie prepared with the texture of meat?
 
#6 ·
It is seitan otherwise known as wheat meat.  It is made by rinsing the starch out of flour by working a dough ball under water which is changed frequently.  You are then left with a gluten mass.  On its own it has as much interest as wonder bread.  

Once the gluten mass is made it is then braised in a flavorful liquid.  It is like tofu in that it will absorb the flavors that it is cooked in.  The texture is similar to that of frozen tofu which has been thawed; kind of spongy. 

What you do with it depends on the flavoring agents it was braised in; may times it is soy sauce based for the color.  It has been decades since I last used it, so I don't know its current available flavor profiles.

You do not want dry heat cooking methods. It shines in moist heat methods: stews, braises or in a stir fry (added at the end).

I hope that info helps.

JoyO
 
#7 ·
Yes, I think it's seitan, does anybody have experience with it? Can it be diced in stews, or fried like steak?
Yes and yes. You can buy seitan, but is way cheaper and better to make yourself. That way you can adjust the flavor profile to mimic beef, fish, mushroom, whatever, as you make it and the flavor will be throughout the seitan as opposed to buying marinated or seasoned seitan with the flavor predominately on the surface. Seitan is sometimes referred to as mock duck, which is a nod to the texture. It can be grilled, sauteed, roasted, poached, etc. etc. The main thing you don't want to do is to boil it much because that will make it soft and spongy.
 
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