Adventures in Mock Meat: Part One

In researching that VegeUSA stuff, I've been led to believe that I may be able to make something comparable at home with stuff that cost me . . . let's see . . . maybe $3.

Apparently, seitan has been around for ages, and is meaty enough that some vegetarians think it's gross and won't eat it. Bingo! It even holds its shape well enough to be used in stews and things, provided you add it near the end. Can do! It soaks up flavors as well as tofu, and can be shaped however you like. Awesome.

So I have everything I need, though I'm using faux-meat boullion for the flavoring, rather than garlic and ginger, which is traditional, for Chinese cuisine anyway. I'm going to try two recipes, and see which suits my idea of what a meatlike stuff should be.

The first is from about.com, by Jolinda Hackett. It gets bonus points for pictures, and will be my first attempt at seitan-making.

The second is from the Vegetarian Resource Group, by Jill Nussinow.

Either way, I'm being vewwy, vewwy quiet, as poor, sick DBF is sleeping on the rocking loveseat my grandmother gave me, which made the long trek south. I have Django Reinhardt on the iPod, and intend to start making faux-chicken this instant, as soon as I wash the cat off my hands.

Incidentally, I'm pleasantly surprised that my allergies have been reasonably mellow, considering that I'm living with a cat who is definitely not short-hair. I only pop the antihistamines twice a day or so, less if I'm not in the apartment much. Hooray!

Hail Seitan!


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