Seitan

Definition: Although it is made from wheat, seitan has little in common with flour or bread. Also called “wheat meat”, “wheat gluten” or simply “gluten”, seitan becomes surprisingly similar to the look and texture of meat when cooked, making it a popular meat substitute. Seitan is also high in protein, making it a popular protein source for vegetarians. Asian restaurants often use seitan as a vegetarian mock meat, and seitan is also the base for several commercially available products such as Tofurky deli slices.

Seitan can be prepared by hand using either whole wheat flour or vital wheat gluten and is made by rinsing away the starch in the wheat, leaving a high-protein gluten behind. Although not as common as tofu, seitan is quickly gaining popularity, particularly in vegetarian restaurants, due to its ability to take on the texture and flavor of meat. Prepared seitan can be found in the refrigerated section of most health food stores.

Seitan Recipes:

• Mexican Seitan Fajitas
  
• Spicy Seitan Buffalo "Wings"
  
• Basic Barbecue Seitan
  
• Barley and Seitan Pilaf
  
• Southern Fried Seitan
  
• Chinese Stir-Fry with Seitan
  
• Creole Style Seitan
  
• Zesty Barbecued Seitan
  
• Tandoori Barbecued Seitan
  
• Curried Grilled Seitan Kebabs
  
• More seitan recipes

See also: Protein Sources for Vegetarians

More:

How To Make Seitan

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Pronunciation: SAY-tahn or SAY-tan

Also Known As: wheat meat, wheat gluten, gluten, vital wheat gluten

Common Misspellings: sietan