In Japanese cuisine, seitan is widely used, usually in combination with seaweed, soy sauce and vegetables, such as green peppers and mushrooms, and is called kofu. It was introduced there in ancient times by Buddhist monks.
Here is some more information on nutritional values of seitan and where to find it.
The nutritional values of seitan
Seitan is a widely used food in diets without animal proteins, such as vegan and vegetarian ones.
It is a derivative of wheat, highly protein, free of cholesterol and saturated fat.
However, it is not suitable in the diet of celiacs and is low in vitamin B12, iron and essential amino acids.
Made up of more than half of water, seitan is therefore very rich in vegetable proteins and contains a small percentage of carbohydrates.
It lends itself to being, due to its consistency cooked as a main course, such as steaks, stews and fillets of "wheat meat"; you can too chop and use as a filling for vegetables, or as a base for making ragù. 100 grams of fresh seitan provide just under 170Kcal.
Seitan: where to find it
Seitan can be found ready in the refrigerated counter of many supermarkets, but if you are looking for the powder to make it, go to the organic shops.
Seitan can be found in three main ways: you can buy it already ready, natural or flavored with herbs or other, vacuum-packed and sold in the refrigerated counter of organic shops or supermarkets. In this case, a package of 100-150 grams costs about 3 euros.
Alternatively it can also be found in the form of flour-powder, buying it at organic shops or specialized natural chains, which, mixed with the right amount of water, forms in a few seconds a soft, elastic and compact dough, ready to cook, boiling for a few minutes together with various ingredients that give it flavor, and then having the meat of seitan for three or four days, ready to be cooked as you prefer: in this case, a 500 g pack will cost about 5 euros.
Finally, seitan can be self-produced from scratch, using simple flour, water and salt, even if the recipe for preparing it at home is a bit long and cumbersome.
Curiosity:
Try 3 original recipes with seitan
