A delicacy that washes off: Make your own vegan chicken
Whether it’s tofu patties or chopped peas: more and more people are turning to meat substitutes. According to the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s (BMEL) Nutrition Report 2021, the proportion of people who eat vegetarian food has doubled from 5 to 10 percent in the past year. 2 percent of Germans also say they eat vegan food, up from 1 percent a year ago. Approximately one in three people in Germany buy plant-based alternatives to animal products “more often”.
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If you like chicken but don’t eat meat, you don’t have to use store-bought substitutes. A current Tiktok trend shows how simple ingredients can be used to create vegan chicken. To prepare vegan chicken, a batter is prepared from flour and water, which is washed, seasoned with spices, and then fried.
Seitan is made from gluten
It’s not new or unknown: the trend on social media rather demonstrates the preparation of seitan, a centuries-old meat alternative mainly used in Asian cuisine.
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Basically, seitan is almost pure wheat protein, also called gluten. By washing the flour, the starch is removed from the dough, leaving the seitan. Seitan dishes have long been available in every well-stocked organic supermarket.
Vegan Chicken Seitan: Ingredients
For approximately 300 grams of vegan chicken, you need:
- 500 grams of wheat flour
- 300 milliliters of water
- 300 milliliters of vegetable broth
- half a teaspoon of sweet paprika powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon of smoked paprika powder
- half a teaspoon of garlic chili powder
- half a teaspoon of mustard, bay leaf
- a little salt and pepper
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Vegan Chicken Seitan: Preparation
1. First, flour and water are mixed in a large bowl. You can do it with your hands or with a mixer. Important: the dough must be kneaded until it stops sticking. Then the dough is left covered for about an hour.
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The dough should be washed well – until the water becomes clear.
© Source: Heidi Becker
2. Now it’s time to rinse: the dough is washed under running water until it is almost transparent. Be patient – the process may take a little longer.
3. Next, the vegan chicken is seasoned. Add paprika powder, garlic and chili powder, thyme, salt, pepper and mustard to the washed dough and knead well together. Now the mass is allowed to infuse under the lid for another 45 minutes.
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When the dough is flavored, it curls around itself.
© Source: Heidi Becker
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4. Now the dough is stretched and twisted (see photo). Now the vegan chicken is fried in a pan on both sides (if necessary, add oil). Then add vegetable broth and bay leaf to the “chicken” and simmer everything covered over low heat for about 40 minutes. When the liquid drains, add the broth.
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First, the “chicken” is fried, and then boiled in broth for 40 minutes.
© Source: Heidi Becker
5. Now the vegan chicken is ready. If desired, you can let the broth boil a little and add it to the “meat” as a sauce. Vegan chicken meat is beautifully cut both whole and sliced in wraps or salads. Good appetite.