Seitan Tips with Mushrooms and Miso
I just tested a new basic seitan recipe for Robin Robertson’s Vegan on the Cheap, so I wanted a way to really showcase the seitan. I’m pretty particular about seitan, probably because it’s my favorite protein. I’m sure you’ve noticed that I have more seitan recipes on this blog than anything else. I always keep some in the freezer, so when I’m looking for a no-thinking dinner, it’s what I grab.
But this dish is something else. I thought about this one for at least a week before putting it into action. I knew just what I was looking for. And here it is for you.
Seitan Tips with Mushrooms and Miso
8 oz seitan, cut in bite sized chunks
1/8 tsp black pepper
pinch white pepper
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp oil, divided use
1/4 cup onion, finely minced
5 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup broth (not salty, see note)
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp mirin
1 cup mushrooms, cut in 1/2 ‘s or 1/4′s depending on the size
1-2 tsp miso
salt and pepper to taste (if needed)
Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Toss the seitan with the flour and peppers. When pan is hot, sear the seitan, then remove it and set aside. Turn the heat down for the next step.
Using the same pan, saute the onions. When they start to soften, add the sliced garlic and cook for 2-4 minutes, until you can smell the garlic. You don’t want anything to brown, just to get cooked. Add the thyme, rosemary and red pepper. Stir for another minute, then add the red wine to deglaze the pan. Scrape everything off the bottom, so you don’t lose those flavors. Add the broth, tomato paste and mirin and bring to a boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes.
While that’s simmering, heat a small frying pan with the remaining oil. When it’s really hot, sear the mushrooms. This way they keep their shape and texture more when you add them to the seitan mixture. When seared, remove from heat. Add them to the seitan mixture after that has simmered for 15 minutes. After the mushrooms are added, simmer for another 10 minutes.
Take about 1/2 cup of the sauce out of the pan and mix in 1 – 2 tsp miso. This will be added back into the mixture right before serving. To get any health benefit out of miso, it’s best not to boil it.
Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the miso/sauce. Adjust seasonings and serve. We had it over eggless noodles with a garnish of fresh parsley.
*Note: The less salty your broth, the better. But if you broth is salty and you end up with a too salty dish (like we all have at one time or another), you might want to try adding a little vinegar or sugar to counteract the salt. I use South River’s Garlic Red Pepper Miso in this. Any miso will work, but I really like the depth this one has.
And if you’re wondering about the initial tester recipe for seitan, it was simmered. I’ve gotten really lazy and almost always use the crockpot to cook seitan, using an adapted version of Isa’s recipe. It reminded me how much I prefer the simmered style and I’m going back to it. I’d love to know your favorite method to cook seitan.
17 Comments
This looks amazing! I love seitan and I love mushrooms.
I usually bake my seitan (a la the Seitan O’Greatness recipe). I find it much lower maintenance that way. But sometimes the texture of baked seitan isn’t quite right for certain recipes.
Mmm…rosemary, mushrooms, red wine, miso? This sounds just perfect!
yup needs to make me more seitan cause this looks phenomenal!
That looks fantastic! I need to make seitan now.
You make seitan in the crock pot?! That is awesome! How?! Do you just follow the recipe and then cook it on low in the crock pot all day?
Your meal looks great, by the way!
Courtney
Looks wonderful! I was just thinking that I should use miso more often in pasta dishes.
I love seitan too- gotta make a new batch soon!
Mmmm YUM! I love seitan for a quick and easy meal too and I’ve been hunting for ways to use more miso.
I prefer my seitan simmered but I wrap the log in cheesecloth to stop it getting funny.
I tried to make a batch in my slow cooker just last week, I don’t know where I went wrong, but half stuck to the bottom and all of it was so soft it fell apart as soon as I tried to get it out (and I cooked it for longer than I should have in the end
)
That looks really delicious. My favorite way to cook seitan is steaming it (wrapped in baking paper, then muslin or cheesecloth). I use steaming for sausages, hot dogs, deli slices. I also steamed my Xmas Roast which turned out excellent! My other favourite seitan method is simmering, for cutlets. I never have any luck baking seitan in broth, it takes ages and never seems to quite work out.
That looks truly delicious. Recipe saved!
(I think this is the perfect dish for every meat loving German I know)
Holy schmokes that looks grand….
I need to eat more seitan, hence I haven’t experimented a lot while making it. So, i am going to try this slow cooker method you speak of. Thanks for sharing
Carrie, I’ve tried that Greatness and you’re right..for some uses I like it.
Lisa, try it!
Bex and Jenn, you can never make enough seitan. I always double the recipe so I can freeze some.
Courtney, yep. I pretty much follow Isa’s recipe but double it. Break it into 4 or 5 roasts. Fill the crockpot with broth and let it go 10 hours on low. It makes your house smell good, too. Let them cool in their to get the most flavor, then package them. If you want thin cuts, they cut really well when they are semi-defrosted.
Trina, me too. I love miso and am trying to use it more. It’s so good!
DJKarma, seitan fans unite!
Vegetation, I’ll bet you could cheesecloth wrap your seitan for the slow cooker method and not get that weirdness. The other options would be to knead it longer, or make it a little firmer.
Felicity, your roast looks amazing!I think I like the simmered texture the very best.
Mihl, I made spaetzle the other night and thought of you. They weren’t very pretty (so won’t be posted), but they sure were good!
Barbara, hope the slow cooker works for you!
That looks delicious! I usually just boil my seitan, but I’m also a fan of steamed seitan. I’ve heard it’s good if you make it in a pressure cooker, too, so I want to find out about that.
Thanks for the info on the crock-pot seitan–I am going to try it this weekend!
Courtney
Seiten’s my favorite too! Robin sent me a few recipes to test for her and I’m super excited about it. Catching up on all your great posts now. Happy new year!
Cyn, I’ve heard wonderful things about seitan in the pressure cooker, too. It makes me want one.
Courtney, I hope it works for you!
TLO, YAY! I can’t wait to hear about what you’re testing.
Was very good! Forgot the miso but was yummy anyway. I added more red wine and broth and let it reduce a bit longer. Great recipe!