The Recipe Room

This Philippines-inspired Pinoy style seitan curry is a vegetarian variation of  Ginataang Manok, which is chicken cooked in coconut milk.

I’ve substituted the chicken with seitan and added a few more spices to maximise the flavour.  If you have a wheat allergy, or just don’t like seitan for some reason, you can substitute tofu for the seitan.  I’ve tried this, and while I didn’t like the result as much as with the seitan, it was still a very good dish.

Just remember to press the tofu for 15 or 20 minutes before using it. Otherwise, it won’t absorb all the wonderful aromas of the spices.  I’d also recommend using a nice and firm tofu. If not, the results could be a bit mushy.

If you do use seitan, I strongly recommend making it yourself. It’s much cheaper and more satisfying  than buying it at a shop, and you can add appropriate spices directly to the dough to complement your recipe.  You can find my basic seitan recipe here.

 

Sometimes I like to vary from using tofu because a lot of my non-vegetarian friends claim that it can be quite bland and sometimes has a strange texture (although this really depends on whether you know how to cook it properly). They also say that it doesn’t resemble meat in taste or in texture.

On the other hand, I’ve never heard anyone make similar complaints about seitan, also known as “Wheat-Meat“, which is nice and chewy and really does resemble meat a bit.  The price, however, is a bit abusive if you buy it at the shop, so here’s a basic seitan recipe which will make about four times as much for the same price.

I personally like using seitan in hearty seitan stew, stir-fries, or even fried and eaten in a bun like a hamburger.  It’s very filling and really not all that hard to make, and once you get the hang of it, you can try other spices to make your own personalised flavour.

What you’re going to need:

• 250ml wheat gluten
• 180ml vegetable broth for the seitan mix.
• 30ml soy sauce
• 5ml ginger powder
• 5ml garlic powder
• 1.5 litres vegetable broth for cooking
• 4 onion slices
• 3 slices fresh ginger

What you have to do:

1. Mix together the wheat gluten, ginger powder and garlic powder in a large mixing bowl.
2. Mix the soy sauce and 180 ml of vegetable broth in a separate bowl.
3. Add the soy sauce mixture to the gluten and spice mixture, stirring gently with a spoon and then with your hands until they are well blended.
4. Kneed the dough gently10-15 times on a flat, clean surface.
5. Let the dough set for 5 minutes, then kneed again 4 more times.
6. Separate the dough into 4 chunks and stretch into 2 cm thick cutlets.
7. Bring the cooking broth to a boil in a large stockpot with the onion and ginger slices.
8. Add the cutlets to the broth and simmer slowly, covered, for 60 minutes.
9. When the cutlets are expanded and firm, they’re ready.
10. Place the cutlets in plastic containers and fill up with broth.
11. The seitan can be stored in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 60 minutes

Serves: 8

Difficulty: Medium