Seitan - a nutritious, practical meat substitute
The history of seitans origin and different ways to prepare the seitan.
Seitan (say-TAHN) is made from gluten. Gluten is the name of the insoluble protein in wheat, probably most familiar as the stuff that makes bread dough elastic. Known as Seitan in Japan, as kofu in China, and as "wheat meat" and "gluten" here in the U.S., seitan is a low fat, high protein, firm-textured meat substitute. It has been eaten in China, Japan, Korea, Russia and the Middle East for thousands of years. Gluten is often referred to in Chinese restaurants as "Buddha food", because of the claim that it was developed by pacifist, vegetarian Buddhist monks as a meat substitute. It is a food rich in tradition as well as nutrition.
As a protein source, seitan contains about 31 grams of protein per 4 ounce serving (which means it has more plant protein per serving than tofu), provides a modest amount of B vitamins and iron and contains no saturated fat or cholesterol. A 3 1/2 ounce (100 gram) serving contains 118 calories, 18% protein and less than 1% unsaturated fat. The same amount of beef has 207 calories and 32.2% protein and is high in saturated fats. As recent studies have shown, our need for protein is much lower than previously believed and any opportunity to remove saturated fats from our diet would be an excellent improvement.
Another dietary benefit of seitan is its low sodium content, although cooking often adds considerably to this. Most of the commercially prepared seitan contains a considerable amount of sodium (up to 100 mg. per ounce). If you choose to deep-fry the gluten, the fat content will jump from virtually zero to the number of grams in whatever oil is absorbed (at 4.5 grams per teaspoon). Moreover, like grain foods in general, this protein is incomplete and needs to be complemented with other protein sources such as dairy or legumes.
Many vegetarians' first experience with eating gluten is at Chinese or Vietnamese restaurants, where it's called "mock duck", "mock chicken", etc. When it's sold in little tubs at the natural/health food store, it's called Seitan again, probably because marketing studies showed that the word "gluten" lacks consumer appeal. It stands in for meat in many recipes and works so well that some vegetarians prefer to avoid it because the texture is too "meaty." However, for many vegetarians and others who are trying to make the transition to a meatless lifestyle, Wheat Meat" is growing in popularity.
Seitan usually starts out as whole grain wheat or high gluten flour mixed with water to obtain a bread dough consistency. The dough is kneaded vigorously for about 10 minutes, and then is left to rest so the gluten can develop. Next, it is rinsed many times under running water, which removes most of the starch and much of the bran. What is left is a firm, stringy mass of high protein gluten that is then cooked in soy sauce and water with other spices added for flavoring, often including the sea vegetable kombu. When raw gluten (wheat dough with the starch washed away) has been cooked in a broth of shoyu, ginger, and kombu, it's called "seitan".
It is now ready to be used in casseroles, stir-fry, sandwiches, and enchiladas or just about anywhere that you might previously have used meat. It can be oven-braised, baked, cooked in a pressure cooker, or deep-fried. Each version yields a different texture. Oven braising produces a texture similar to the chewy texture derived from simmering. Baking produces a light texture that works well when grinding or grating seitan. Pressure-cooking will produce a softer texture. Fried gluten turns soft and slippery when cooked with a sauce and absorbs flavor well.
- Written by Alyx Sandborg, Copyright 2002 by PageWise, Inc
Seitan (say-TAHN) is made from gluten. Gluten is the name of the insoluble protein in wheat, probably most familiar as the stuff that makes bread dough elastic. Known as Seitan in Japan, as kofu in China, and as "wheat meat" and "gluten" here in the U.S., seitan is a low fat, high protein, firm-textured meat substitute. It has been eaten in China, Japan, Korea, Russia and the Middle East for thousands of years. Gluten is often referred to in Chinese restaurants as "Buddha food", because of the claim that it was developed by pacifist, vegetarian Buddhist monks as a meat substitute. It is a food rich in tradition as well as nutrition.
As a protein source, seitan contains about 31 grams of protein per 4 ounce serving (which means it has more plant protein per serving than tofu), provides a modest amount of B vitamins and iron and contains no saturated fat or cholesterol. A 3 1/2 ounce (100 gram) serving contains 118 calories, 18% protein and less than 1% unsaturated fat. The same amount of beef has 207 calories and 32.2% protein and is high in saturated fats. As recent studies have shown, our need for protein is much lower than previously believed and any opportunity to remove saturated fats from our diet would be an excellent improvement.
Another dietary benefit of seitan is its low sodium content, although cooking often adds considerably to this. Most of the commercially prepared seitan contains a considerable amount of sodium (up to 100 mg. per ounce). If you choose to deep-fry the gluten, the fat content will jump from virtually zero to the number of grams in whatever oil is absorbed (at 4.5 grams per teaspoon). Moreover, like grain foods in general, this protein is incomplete and needs to be complemented with other protein sources such as dairy or legumes.
Many vegetarians' first experience with eating gluten is at Chinese or Vietnamese restaurants, where it's called "mock duck", "mock chicken", etc. When it's sold in little tubs at the natural/health food store, it's called Seitan again, probably because marketing studies showed that the word "gluten" lacks consumer appeal. It stands in for meat in many recipes and works so well that some vegetarians prefer to avoid it because the texture is too "meaty." However, for many vegetarians and others who are trying to make the transition to a meatless lifestyle, Wheat Meat" is growing in popularity.
Seitan usually starts out as whole grain wheat or high gluten flour mixed with water to obtain a bread dough consistency. The dough is kneaded vigorously for about 10 minutes, and then is left to rest so the gluten can develop. Next, it is rinsed many times under running water, which removes most of the starch and much of the bran. What is left is a firm, stringy mass of high protein gluten that is then cooked in soy sauce and water with other spices added for flavoring, often including the sea vegetable kombu. When raw gluten (wheat dough with the starch washed away) has been cooked in a broth of shoyu, ginger, and kombu, it's called "seitan".
It is now ready to be used in casseroles, stir-fry, sandwiches, and enchiladas or just about anywhere that you might previously have used meat. It can be oven-braised, baked, cooked in a pressure cooker, or deep-fried. Each version yields a different texture. Oven braising produces a texture similar to the chewy texture derived from simmering. Baking produces a light texture that works well when grinding or grating seitan. Pressure-cooking will produce a softer texture. Fried gluten turns soft and slippery when cooked with a sauce and absorbs flavor well.
- Written by Alyx Sandborg, Copyright 2002 by PageWise, Inc
1 Comments:
Hi he her.
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Mable
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