Mock Duck Seitan and Shiitake Skewers
Another lovely recipe from Chava Eichner of Flavour Photos - from her feature in Viva!Life magazine issue 59. She shows how easy it is to make home-made seitan.
However, if you're stuck for ingredients or time, mock duck can be bought in tins.
Shopping Tips
- Vital Gluten flour: some health food shops. Realfoods online sell an organic version. Or try Amazon
- Ready-made seitan in tins or jars: Granovita Mock Duck (health food shops) or look in Oriental supermarkets for brands such as Companion, Mong Lee Shang or Maple. Yakso or Lima is sold in jars, in health food shops but isn't so flavoured as the other varieties
- Chinese Pancakes: look for Blue Dragon brand - Spring Roll Wrappers - or else Waitrose sell them, as do Oriental supermarkets
Praise Seitan! But what is it?!
Seitan or gluten is an ancient meat alternative that has been made in Eastern countries like China and Japan for thousands of years. It is high in protein and low in fat and delicious. However, it is not suitable for coeliacs or those with a wheat or gluten intolerance.
Ingredients:
Seitan dry ingredients
- 150g vital gluten flour
- 2 heaped tbsp nutritional yeast flakes (Engevita brand, health food shops and some Tesco)
- 1 tsp onion salt or granules
- 1 tsp garlic salt or granules
- 1 tsp Thai 7 spice blend
Seitan liquid ingredients
- 200ml vegan stock
- 2 tbsp ketchup manis (sweet soya sauce) Alternatively, use regular soya sauce with a dash of sugar or agave syrup
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Veg for skewers
- 16 fresh shiitake mushrooms
- 2-3 small red onions
- 2 yellow or orange peppers
Glaze - mix together
- 3 tbsp Hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
PLUS 8 wooden or metal skewers - if using wooden, soak in cold water first, before you start the cooking
Method:
For the seitan
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.
- Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix all liquid ingredients together and stir into the bowl with a large spoon until the mixture comes together. Tip the seitan onto a clean worktop or large clean chopping board and knead for 2-3 minutes.
- Cut the seitan into small pieces, to fit the skewers.
- Line a baking tray with baking parchment/greaseproof paper and brush it with a little oil. Place all the pieces of seitan in a single layer and cover with tinfoil.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Done!
Now the skewers
- Turn on the grill.
- Cut onions into wedges and the peppers into bite-sized pieces.
- Alternate shiitake mushrooms with seitan, pepper and onion for each skewer.
- Brush each skewer with the glaze.
- Grill until cooked on all sides.
- Serve with cucumber and spring onion on thin Chinese pancakes or as part of a BBQ feast.
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