ray@bpa.UUCP (RAY BENASH) (07/19/85)
No flames please! I tried sending this reply through netmail but it was rejected because the host could not be found.... In article <128@hscfvax.UUCP> you write: >Just checking to see if anyone has read and tested any of the recipes >I posted here several weeks ago in response to a request about >barbecue and cookout ideas. I listed a number of sauces and other >recipes using seitan/mingun/wheat gluten which are from a new cookbook >I am completing. If noone is interested I am suprised but curious >what happened. If someone is interested, why don't you let me know? >If you need more recipes let me know. > >Thanks. I would just like to express my appreciation for the info you posted. I've got the ingredients together (just bought the kombu yesterday). I've been using seitan rather frequently for the past 2 years, usually in sandwiches. I have been buying it ready-made at a co-op I belong to. I will definately reply as soon as I try yours. One question....after making the gluten, you say to cook the seitan in cutlet form. Do you use these pre-cooked in the recipes? Or are you using the un-cooked cutlets in them? Well, maybe just one more....do you have any nutritional info on seitan? I'm looking forward to your publication and hope you post to the net when it becomes available. The seitan I've been using comes in a container with a dark liquid marinate made from soy sauce, water, and kombu. I've been wondering if the seitan is already cooked or if it is in a raw state in this liquid. The seitan is dark all the way through, as if it has been marinated in it's raw state. Thanks again, Ray Benash bpa!ray
ewj@hscfvax.UUCP (850039@P.Fuller) (07/21/85)
In response to your questions about seitan: First of all, the seitan you are purchasing ready-made is just that -- ready to go. Anywhere you want to take it. Eat it right out of the package or cook it however you like, unless it is too salty which will require you to soak it (ugh, soggy seitan!), rinse it off, or mix it with vegetables and spices to balance the salt. It's probably best in a sandwich with mustard, saurkraut and lettuce. But you have probably found your favorite use. Regarding my recipes: True, I did not exactly tell you what to do to cook the seitan as cutlets. But since you asked, and because I have done extensive testing and development on this food, I will present you with a complete answer to your question. Its like this: When you have made what I call ``uncooked seitan'' (the result of separating gluten from starch and bran), you will be holding in your hands a somewhat springy mass of gluten which must be cooked. This is what the cookbook is all about--what to do with the gluten (uncooked seitan). When a reference is made to ``cutlets'' it means that you have to shape the uncooked seitan into cutlet form and simmer it in a seasoned broth. Flatten the uncookd seitan somewhat and then roll it into a cylinder. Then slice it into 1/4" to 1/2" pieces. Simmer these as they are, or flatten them somewhat by using the edge of your fist to pound them with a sliding motion. Depending upon the type of gluten you have made (determined by flour combinations), they may stretch to nearly twice their original surface size while becoming proportionately thinner. Simmer them SLOWLY (too high heat will make the cutlets too spongy). Few or no bubbles should be visible in the broth. For 2 cups of uncooked seitan (one pound) you should be able to make 6-8 good-sized cutlets. For the broth use 4 cups water, 3" kombu, 1/4 to 1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce, and fresh garlic or ginger root. Cook for 1/2 -1 hour depending upon the thickness. After this, eat or cook any way you like. Good luck, and thanks for your interest. Let me know how the recipes turn out, and for those of you who missed the first posting of the recipes--if you are interested, let me know and I will post some others. Fourth of July is over so you may not be interested in barbecues, or you may have found tuna steaks to be more convenient on the grill.