The best recipes come from testing others! After I reviewed four vastly different vegan steak recipes, I was ready to write my own.
Vegan what?!
This vegan steak recipe is a seitan (AKA wheat meat) recipe. Seitan is basically wheat protein, or gluten:
- Wheat Flour = Starch + Gluten
- Wheat Flour – Starch = Gluten
There’s surprisingly little involved in removing starch from wheat flour. Since starch is water soluble (and gluten is not), simply wash a ball of dough until the water runs fairly clean.
WTF, you say? Romy London explains the Wash The Flour method in her recipe quite clearly.
Is there an easier way to make vegan steak?
Thankfully, there is! I prefer the Vital Wheat Gluten method (VWG). Though ingredients and cooking methods may vary, the core of VWG is working flavoring agents into vital wheat gluten flour.
I mostly mentioned WTF to assure you that seitan isn’t an ultra-processed food as some meat analogs can be. Seitan has actually been eaten for thousands of years!
Serving Suggestions for Vegan Steak
Relaxed: “Cheesesteak”
This recipe was born from inspiration following a visit to Monster Vegan in Philadelphia. In my head alone, I decided to compete with their Vegan Cheesesteak – which is delicious! Definitely go if you’re in town. But if not, grab some hoagie rolls for yourself and add:
- Slow-Cooker Caramelized Onions
- All-Purpose “Cheese” Sauce
- Flank-Style Vegan Steak (below)
Refined: Vegan French Dip
Swap hoagie rolls for a baguette, and with double the Basting Broth Ingredients (below), you can make vegan French dips instead of “cheesesteaks”. (As much as I love my “cheesesteak”, the French dip may be my favorite variation!)
Flank-Style Vegan Steak
Description
Checkout the Note below for delectable serving suggestions!
My favorite way to eat Flank-Style Vegan Steak is on a vegan French dip. For this variation, have double the Basting Broth Ingredients on hand, but do not simply double them in Step 2. (You'll need to reduce the red wine for the dipping jus.)
Ingredients
Seasoning Paste/High-Speed Blender Ingredients
Basting Broth/Medium Bowl Ingredients
Foundation/Large Bowl Ingredient
Browning Sauce/Small Bowl Ingredients
Finish
Instructions
Prepare
-
Begin to boil water as though making tea. Add sun-dried tomatoes to a high-speed blender, then once water is boiling, pour about ½ cup (120 mL/g) over tomatoes. Cover and soak 1 hr.
-
Meanwhile, measure basting broth ingredients into a medium bowl; vital wheat gluten, large bowl; and browning sauce ingredients, small bowl. Set each vessel aside.
-
Gather a spatula (to remove blender ingredients and mix dough), lined sheet pan, kitchen towel or some plastic wrap, a basting brush, cutting board, and long serrated knife.
-
Lastly, as soon as tomatoes have finished soaking, preheat oven to 375°F/190°C and proceed.
Make "Steak"
-
Grind dried mushrooms if necessary. Add to blender with remaining seasoning paste ingredients.
-
Whisk basting broth, then pour exactly half (½ c, or 113 mL/g) into blender. Reserve other half.
-
Purée blender contents until smooth scraping sides as needed. Transfer to large bowl of vital wheat gluten. Stir until spatula is no longer effective, then switch to kneading with hands in bowl 2-3 min, until all vital wheat gluten is moistened.
-
Place dough on cutting board. Loosely cover with inverted bowl, then rest 10 min.
-
Uncover dough. Stretch and flatten into a roughly letter/A4 paper-sized slab, then fold in thirds and stretch and flatten again. Laminate once or twice more as able.
This dough will resist shaping! (It somewhat reminds me of molding a sand-filled stress ball.) Apply substantial pressure without tearing. -
Twist dough 2-3 times and flatten as in previous step. Repeat once or twice more (again, as able), then set slab on sheet pan. Lay damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap over top and rest 20 min. Remove towel or plastic wrap before continuing.
Bake "Steak"
-
Whisk reserved basting broth, then generously brush top of “steak” with 1 Tbsp (15 mL/14 g). Flip and brush bottom with same amount.
-
Bake 10 min. Repeat from Step 11 three more times, until “steak” has baked 40 min (so far) and basting broth is gone.
Followed precisely, Steps 11-12 will alternately expose the top and bottom of your “steak” to the oven’s dry heat. -
Flip “steak”. Whisk browning sauce, then baste top with half (about 1 Tbsp, or 15 mL/14 g). Bake 5 min and repeat with remaining half.
-
Rest “steak” on sheet pan 10 min, then move onto cutting board. Examine surface to identify direction of gluten network as best as possible. Position knife perpendicular to network, then thinly slice on a steep bias.
Sprinkle on freshly cracked black pepper at any point during this step.
Note
Suggested Applications
"Cheesesteak"
Have hoagie rolls on hand. Prepare caramelized onions and any version of All-Purpose “Cheese” Sauce, then make this recipe. Stuff rolls with onions, “steak”, and “cheese” sauce. Enjoy!
Vegan French Dip
Have a baguette on hand. Prepare caramelized onions and fancy version of All-Purpose “Cheese” Sauce, then make this recipe. For dipping jus, following Basting Broth Ingredients, measure wine into a small saucepan. Bring to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer about 5-10 min, until reduced approximately by half. Add remaining Basting Broth Ingredients and cook briefly, until hot. Divide and slice baguette, then fill with onions, “steak”, and “cheese” sauce. Serve alongside ramekins of jus. Bon appétit!
