15 July 2007

Jerk Seitan

For this month's potluck the theme was Caribbean Food. I decided to make Jerk Seitan. I used Bryanna Clark Grogan's Tender Chicken seitan recipe and converted a Jerk Chicken recipe I found here. It was a big success.

Jerk Seitan

Seitan

DRY MIX:
2 and 1/4 c. pure gluten powder
1/2 c. Minute tapioca (buy in any grocery store—unflavored)
1/2 c. TVP flakes
2 T. nutritional yeast flakes
2 tsp. garlic granules
1/2 tsp. onion powder

WET MIX;
2 and 1/4 c. cold water
1/4 c. tahini
3 T. soy sauce

COOKING BROTH:
Mix in a large pot and bring to a boil, then keep at a simmer, covered
7 c. HOT “chicken-style” vegetarian broth
7 cloves garlic, chopped
3 and 1/2 T. soy sauce
3 and 1/2 T. nutritional yeast flakes

Mix the Dry Mix ingredients in the bowl of your electric mixer with dough hook attachment. Add the Wet Mix and knead for about 10 minutes. Let rest for about 1 hour, covered. You can make your Cooking Broth at this time and have it ready. Then knead it for 10 more minutes.

The dough should be quite shiny and smooth. Avoid breaking it up when you take it out of the bowl. Knead by stretching and patting or rolling into a flat rectangle. Fold in half and repeat, doing this 6 times, and folding so that the gluten strands are always going in the same direction. If the dough gets stubborn and won’t relax, just cover it and go away for about 20 minutes, and it’ll be fine. Form the dough into a piece that will fit into your pot, only about 1” thick, however. Wet your hands from time to time to make the dough easier to handle. (You can cut the roast in half, if you like, and shape like two large “breast” pieces.) Oil or spray lightly and let rest while you get the pot ready.

Oil or spray the inside of your slow-cooker or pot. It has to have room for the roast to expand. Pour about 1 c. of the hot Cooking Broth in the bottom of the pot, then place the roast in. Cover with the rest of the broth. It should just cover the roast—if not, make a bit more broth (say, 1/4 of the recipe). Cover tightly and simmer on LOW (180 to 200 degrees F) for 6-8 hours , turning once halfway through if you are awake.

Remove from broth and refrigerate overnight

Jerk Marinade/ Sauce:

6 sliced jalapenos
1/4 tsp Thyme
2 TBSP ground allspice
8 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 Medium onions, finely chopped
2 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP salt
2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
Juice of one lime
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup white wine vinegar

Chop the onions, garlic and peppers. Blend all of the ingredients in a blender to make the jerk sauce.

Cut seitan in to thick slices and poke each piece with a fork. Place pieces in a large bowl and poor in marinade. Let marinade for at least 1 1/2 hours.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Place seitan on lightly oiled aluminum foil directly on the oven rack.
Cook for 30 minutes, flip seitan over, add a little more marinade and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
Heat leftover marinade and spoon over seitan chunks and enjoy!!