03/10/19

Seitan

Seitan is a form of protein or "fake meat" that is little used in New Zealand. It is sometimes called "wheat-meat" and has long been used by Buddhists as an alternative protein to meat.

I have been trying to track it down as it is a lower calorie and lower fat alternative to Tofu. 

Seitan- pronounced say-tan is high in protein and minerals and low in carbohydrates. Off-season I like to use wholefoods for my protein, I love using beans, chickpeas, and lentils. But I am currently 7 weeks out from a show and my 60th birthday photo shoot so I am looking for lower carb options. I don't like to use too many soy-based products because of the Phyto oestrogens and fat content.

Anyway as I couldn't buy any I thought I'd make my own, for this you need a special flour called Vital wheat flour. I couldn't find any locally so I You-tubed it and found that I could make it from normal flour.

This is what I did:

1. I mixed 1 bag plain flour with water to make a dough.
2. I kneaded the dough.
3. I washed the dough for 10 mins using cold water, then warm water, then cold water.
4. This took about 10 mins the water was milky white, I kept washing it in a saucepan under the kitchen tap.
5. The dough fell apart and then seemed to reconstitute itself.
6. I was left with a piece of dough about 2/3 of the size that I started with.
7. I boiled the dough in vegetable stock for 20 minutes.
8. I let it cool and then squeezed out the excess water and put it in the fridge.
9. Then I sliced it and panfried it in a little oil with mustard seeds, turmeric and garlic salt.

It was very tasty. I now have enough protein for my evening meals this week. It cost me $2.19!

150g serve gave me 44g protein with zero carbs and about 2g fat!

Where did the carbs go, they are all washed out with the starch!

Nutrient wise I am not going to rely on often, but I think that for the rest of this prep it will be a Godsend.

Please comment or ask questions below.