This seitan pastrami will simply blow your mind! It is so flavoursome, easy to make and freezes perfectly so you can prepare lots and always have it ready. Seitan is so inexpensive to make. I bet you will get hooked on it and soon you will be creating your own flavour combinations. You got to love the fact that you know exactly what you eat, there are no weird E-numbers, hidden preservatives or flavour enhancers. I was always a bit on the fence with seitan, as I never really missed meat, since becoming vegan, and the idea of imitating those flavours wasn’t very appealing. However, I appreciate the good texture and deep, rich umami flavours, which is exactly what this pastrami delivers.
Some seitan tips
One of the best things about making seitan is that you can’t really go wrong, or make any major mistakes. Have no fear, and instead, experiment with flavours, as well as textures. As a general rule, to make seitan you need a liquid base, which will hold all the aroma and define the finished product and vital gluten wheat. It is the main component of all seitan mock meats. What is vital gluten you ask? Well, it is simply flour that has been washed away all of the starch, and all that’s left is gluten. This is a wonderful material to work with, it is stretchy, soaks up any flavours, and expands during cooking, pure magic.
The more vital gluten you will add to a liquid base, the tougher it will be. So if you are specifically looking to imitate certain meats textures, the kitchen is your playground. Soft and tender ‘chicken breasts’ will require less gluten, and if you are craving chewy kinda ribs, make your seitan tougher. This seitan pastrami asks for a bit tougher texture since we will be packing it tightly to be thinly sliced.
Blending and kneading seitan pastrami
I could live in my kitchen, but I also love my time, so I always take this option if I can make my life easier. I love using my magimix when making seitan, as I change attachment from the sharp blade to dough one, save on washing up and, I don’t have to knead it, which may be a bit of a task, since seitan may be a bit hard to work with.
And finally, cooking your seitan. In most cases, this will be a two-stage process: quick sear/fry and poaching, which is the main event. I know it may scare a lot of you, as it looks like something super complicated, but trust me, it really is not. You will be amazed how quickly you can make your own wonderful breakfast sausages, cold cuts and more.
This pastrami cold is:
- Flavoursome
- Perfect for sandwiches or as a part of a charcuterie
- Freezes really well
- Last in a fridge for a minimum of a week
- Doesn’t ask for any special ingredients
- Is free of preservatives and additives
- Takes only 30 min to make
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