Ingredients

• Ingredients For the seitan strips: – 125g (1 cup) wheat gluten – 2tsp chinese five spice powder – 1tsp smoked paprika – 2tsp onion powder – 2tsp garlic powder – 180ml (3/4 cup) cold vegetable stock – 3tbsp light soy sauce – 3tbsp peanut butter – 1tbsp sesame oil to grease the tin (or regular oil if you have no sesame) For the sauce: – 125ml (1/2 cup) hoisin sauce – 125ml (1/2 cup) soy sauce – 50g (1/4 cup) soft brown sugar – 3 cloves of minced garlic – 2tsp Chinese five spice powder – tsp onion powder – small amount of vegan red food colouring

Preparation

• Preparation Start with preparing the seitan by heating the oven to 375f / 190c / Gas Mark 5. You will also need: – 8 inch x 8 inch greaseproof baking dish. Method Preparing the Seitan: 1) Combine the first 5 dry ingredients and set to one side. 2) To the cold vegetable stock, add the soy sauce and peanut butter. Whisk together well. 3) Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, add the liquid and bring together. You may need to use a spoon or spatula to combine initially but once it forms a dough the best thing to do is just get stuck in with your hands. 4) Kneed the dough in the bowl for 10 minutes or so until it toughens up and holds its shape. Let it rest for 10 minutes then kneed again for a further 5-10 minutes. 5) Oil an 8inch x 8inch dish, shape the seitan dough to the dish and bake in the oven for 30 – 40 minutes. Preparing the Sauce: 1) Whilst the seitan is cooking in the oven, you can move on to preparing the sauce. Very simply add all of the ingredients to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat for 10 – 15 minutes until it has reduced, the sugar has melted and thickened the sauce. Marinating and Cooking the Seitan: This recipe works best if you can prepare it the day before and leave time for the seitan to marinate in the sauce overnight. However, if you’re pushed for time then marinating for 4 hours or so should suffice. 1) Once the seitan has cooled, slice into strips and add to a fresh dish large enough to accommodate the marinade. 2) To marinate, take half of the prepared sauce, add 50ml of water to thin it out and cover the seitan strips. Cover with cling film and pop it in the fridge. 3)  To cook the strips, once they have marinated for as long as you have time to allow, add them to a heated frying pan along with the marinade and fry on medium-high for 10 minutes. 4) Turn the strips over regularly to ensure even cooking and add the remaining half of the sauce. Lower to heat to medium and continue cooking for a further 5 – 10 minutes to heat through the sauce. Be sure to continue turning the strips every few minutes for even cooking. The strips are now ready to use as you wish, whether it be with noodles, fried rice or in a veggie stir fry.