What is the food seitan that was used on Top Chef?
Seitan Food is featured on Top Chef Las Vegas’ premiere tonight. Seitan (not Satan nor Saytan) food is wheat meat, gluten rich food that draws from the wheat protein. In fact Seitan Food takes different names in different countries. While referred to as Seitan on tonight’s Top Chef, it’s “Kofu” in China. Seitan draws low sodium, high iron, a rich protein sources in each serving. So who carries Sietan foods? Apparently Whole Foods if you watched tonight’s episode. With 30 minutes and $150, Jennifer Z opted for seitan on tonight’s premiere episode. Seitan preparation typically should involve low salt seasoning and not deep frying. Sources: http://news.lalate.
Wheat gluten, also called seitan (pronounced /ˈseɪtæn/), wheat meat, gluten meat, or simply gluten, is a food made from the gluten of wheat. It is made by washing wheat flour dough with water until all the starch dissolves, leaving insoluble gluten as an elastic mass which is then cooked before being eaten. Wheat gluten, although not as well known, is an alternative to soybean-based meat substitutes such as tofu. Some types of wheat gluten have a chewy and/or stringy texture more like that of meat than most other substitutes. Wheat gluten is often used instead of meat in Asian, vegetarian, Buddhist, and macrobiotic cuisines. Simulated duck is a common use for wheat gluten. Wheat gluten is most popular in Japan and China, where it was first developed, as well as in the cuisines of other East and Southeast Asian nations. In Asia, it is commonly found on the menus of restaurants catering primarily to Buddhist customers who do not eat meat. Because it was first popularized in western natio
Seitan is a form of wheat gluten. It is a high protein, low fat, no cholesterol (of course, all vegan food is cholesterol free) food that is usually found in the refrigerated section of most organic groceries/health food stores. It is usually near the tofu and typically comes in small tubs (like margarine tubs). It is brown and sometimes comes in strips 1/4 to 1/2 inches thick. Seitan is made from whole wheat flour which is mixed with water and kneaded. This dough undergoes a simple process of rinsing and mixing, to remove the starch and some bran, until a gluten is obtained. After boiling in water, this glutinous dough is called Kofu, which can be further processed in many ways. One of which is seitan. Kofu becomes seitan by simmering in a stock of tamari soy sauce, water and kombu sea vegetable. Sources: http://www.ivu.org/faq/specialities.
