Vegan Chicken: Firm Seitan Fillets With Savory Miso Brine
By Emma Collins
Prep
15 min
Cook
60 min
Total
555 min
Servings
16
Level
Easy
Serve these vegan chicken strips at a family meal or cook multiple batches for other recipes. Steamed seitan strips with tofu, cannellini beans, miso, and vital wheat gluten can be torn or shredded after soaking in a wine and miso solution.
Silken tofu and cannellini beans with soaking liquid are blended with neutral oil, salt, miso, and rice vinegar to create a smooth blend. Wheat gluten and garlic powder are blended into the smooth blend to form seitan dough, and more oil is added later. Fillets are seasoned with a brine of garlic, miso, dry white wine, sugar, vegan chicken seasoning, salt, and bay leaves.
Steamed fillets should feel stringy and gumlike before steaming, a sign that the gluten has developed properly. Steamed, wrapped fillets should be firm and rubbery, not doughy. The most frequent problem with this recipe is wrapping the fillets incorrectly, resulting in a soft, spongy texture instead of a firm, meaty texture.
Separate the fish fillets after cooking and before brining to allow them to absorb more brine. Brined fish fillets can be prepared in a variety of ways, such as stir-frying, grilling on skewers, frying like chicken, making fish curry, or adding to sandwiches. Brining for eight hours or longer is recommended. Shredded fillets can be flaked with a fork. Larger pieces of brined fillets can be torn by hand to leave chunks.
Why this recipe works
- Serves 16. Buying several batches may be cost-effective for family meals over a few days or other ingredients for weeknight meals.
- Suitable for cooks looking for a versatile food preparation method. Marinated fish fillets can be shredded, sliced, or torn into chunks.
- In general, people who prefer firm, elastic seitan enjoyed seitan pieces that were more tightly wrapped and steamed evenly rather than boiled, and did not absorb as much liquid as boiled pieces.
- Versatile food for other dinner dishes because it has a bland taste that can be used in dishes such as stir-fries, kebabs, curries, salads, sandwiches, and fried chicken.
- Prepares delicious meals by marinating sliced fillets in a mixture of miso, wine, garlic, and other seasonings for at least eight hours.
- Offers texture tips for home cooks, including suggestions about dough consistency and cooked fish fillets, to help home cooks better understand and follow complex recipes.
Ingredients
- •439 g silken tofu (1 pack)
- •400 g cannellini beans (1 tin, including the soaking water)
- •6 tbsp vegetable oil (neutral flavored, such as sunflower, rapeseed, or canola; divided)
- •2 tsp flaky sea salt
- •2 tbsp white miso paste
- •2 tsp rice vinegar (apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar can be used instead)
- •380 g vital wheat gluten
- •1 tsp garlic powder
- •3 cloves garlic (crushed)
- •4 tbsp white miso paste (for the brine)
- •120 ml dry white wine (vegan variety)
- •2 tbsp sugar
- •500 ml water (just boiled)
- •2 tbsp vegan chicken seasoning (or 2 mushroom stock cubes)
- •2 tsp flaky sea salt (for the brine)
- •4 bay leaves
Instructions
- 1
Place the silken tofu, cannellini beans and their water, 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, sea salt, white miso paste, and rice vinegar in the largest cup or jug attachment of a high-speed blender.
- 2
Blend on high speed for at least 1 minute.
- 3
Remove the cup, shake it or use a spatula to loosen any chunks from the sides, then blend for another 30 seconds until very smooth and creamy.
- 4
Add the vital wheat gluten and garlic powder, then blend until smooth and very stretchy.
- 5
Add the remaining 3 tablespoons vegetable oil and blend for at least 30 seconds; the dough should be very stringy, like tough chewing gum.
- 6
Divide the dough into 8 pieces of roughly 150 g each.
- 7
Working with one piece at a time, pinch the edges and tuck them into the center to create one smooth side and one folded side, then roughly shape it into a fillet.
- 8
Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.
- 9
Place each fillet on greaseproof paper, fold the paper over, and wrap tightly; alternatively, wrap in muslin or cheesecloth and bind tightly with string.
- 10
Place the tightly wrapped fillets in a steamer and steam for at least 1 hour.
- 11
Check the fillets after 1 hour; they should be firm and bouncy rather than soft and doughy.
- 12
Remove the seitan from the steamer and leave it wrapped to cool for at least 20 minutes.
- 13
Whisk the crushed garlic, white miso paste, dry white wine, and sugar together in a medium bowl until a smooth paste forms, then set aside.
- 14
Unwrap the cooled seitan and pull each fillet apart into two pieces with your hands.
- 15
Place the seitan in a large lidded container or deep baking tin, pour over the miso-wine mixture, and rub the marinade into the pieces.
- 16
Add the just-boiled water, vegan chicken seasoning or mushroom stock cubes, sea salt, and bay leaves to a large measuring jug.
- 17
Pour the hot brine over the seitan and use a fork to make sure all pieces are covered with liquid.
- 18
Cover and allow the brine to cool to room temperature on the counter.
- 19
Once cooled, refrigerate and marinate for at least 8 hours, ideally 12 hours.
- 20
For shredded chicken, pull the marinated seitan into fine shreds with a fork; for chunks, tear it by hand or slice it with a knife.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
192
Protein
22g
Fat
7g
Carbs
11g
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