Vegane Chicken-Nuggets (vegan seitan nuggets)
Units
Temperature
Servings
Ingredients
Seitan
- 200 g vital wheat gluten rounded
- 20 g nutritional yeast rounded
- 5 g onion powder rounded
- 5 g garlic powder rounded
- 200 ml vegetable broth rounded
- 15 ml soy sauce rounded
- 1 1/2 L vegetable broth, for simmering rounded
Breading
- 80 g flour rounded
- 200 ml oat milk rounded
- 150 g breadcrumbs rounded
- 500 ml neutral oil, for frying rounded
Method
Method
- Whisk the vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, onion powder and garlic powder together. Add the 200 ml broth and soy sauce, and mix to a rough dough. Knead by hand for 5 minutes, until noticeably elastic and springy; it will feel very different from a normal flour dough.
- Shape the dough into a log and slice into 20 rough nugget shapes.
- Bring the 1.5 litres of broth to a gentle simmer in a wide pot. Add the seitan pieces and simmer, uncovered, for 60 minutes, turning occasionally, until firm and slightly springy. Lift out and let cool. This can be done a day ahead; the pieces keep well in their broth in the fridge overnight.
- Whisk the flour and oat milk together to a smooth batter. Dip each seitan piece in the batter, then coat in breadcrumbs, pressing gently to help them stick.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the breaded nuggets in batches, about 3 minutes per side, until deeply golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper.
Method in the Thermomix
Written for a TM5 or TM6, 2.2 litre bowl. This covers kneading the gluten dough; simmering and frying stay conventional.
- Vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, onion powder and garlic powder into the bowl. Mix 5 sec / speed 5. Add the broth and soy sauce. Knead 2 min / dough mode, until visibly elastic.
- Tip out and continue by hand from step 2 of the hand method.
Notes
- Give the seitan the full simmering time. This slow cook is what firms the gluten structure into a genuinely chewy, meat-like texture; rushed, it stays soft and pasty no matter how well it is breaded and fried afterward.
- Knead the gluten dough properly before shaping. Under-kneaded gluten does not develop the same stretch and structure, giving a crumblier, less convincing result.
- The unbreaded, simmered seitan keeps for 4 days in the fridge in its broth, or freezes well, so it is worth making a double batch to have on hand.
- Fry the breaded nuggets fresh; they do not hold their crispness well once breaded and left to sit.
Ingredient substitutions
- Nutritional yeast adds a savoury depth; it can be left out, though the flavour will be flatter.
- Oat milk in the batter can be any plant milk.
- Baking the breaded nuggets at 200°C for 20 minutes, turning once, is a lighter alternative to frying, though the crust will be less crisp.