Where to buy seitan, apart from health food chains?

I don't buy seitan very often, but when I do, I always have second-thoughts about spending $4 on an 8-oz. package of the White Wave brand at health food stores.

I would greatly appreciate any advice on buying seitan from Asian food markets or from any other less-expensive-than-Whole-Foods stores. I'm not looking for the canned seitan but for the refrigerated, freshly prepared version, in either plain or seasoned varieties.

Has anyone who is reading this found and tried anything like this? If so, where? I live in Evanston, so any recommendations on the North Side/Northern suburbs would be especially valuable.

Thanks!!!

bobbem wrote:I would greatly appreciate any advice on buying seitan from Asian food markets or from any other less-expensive-than-Whole-Foods stores.

Bobbem,

I've seen, but not purchased, bulk blocks of fresh wheat gluten, aka seitan, in water at Viet Hoa on Argyle. It's likely Japanese and Korean markets stock seitan, but Viet Hoa is the only place I specifically remember seeing seitan in bulk.

Enjoy,
Gary

Viet Hoa Plaza
1051 W Argyle St
Chicago, IL 60640
773-334-1028

Hi,

Whole Foods sells dried glutton in the baking section. There are instructions on the back to make seitan. You might buy a box just to get the method, then find another source for the glutton. The Home Economist in Skokie might carry glutton.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

Whole Foods sells dried glutton in the baking section.

Regards,

Sorry, I couldn't resist. That's got to be the best possible typo for a food oriented discussion list.


(emphasis added)

G Wiv wrote:Viet Hoa is the only place I specifically remember seeing seitan in bulk.

Thanks, Gary, I'll stop by and report back.

Cathy2 wrote:Whole Foods sells dried glutton in the baking section.

Thanks, that's an interesting idea! I'll give it a try if I find it difficult to come by the ready-to-use seitan.

Hi,

I was at the Home Economist today, they do not sell gluten. (I checked my spelling this time!!!!)

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:I was at the Home Economist today, they do not sell gluten. (I checked my spelling this time!!!!)

Thanks for checking on that! I appreciate it!

By the way, I was at the Whole Foods store in Evanston today and couldn't find the dried gluten. But I had my one-year-old with me, so I didn't have too much time to search or to ask one of the employees... Hopefully later this week...

HI,

It is in a robin egg's blue box the size of a cake mix box. When I bought gluten at Whole Foods in Deerfield, I had two people helping me. It was in the section with many alternative grains for baking.

Good luck!

Regards,

I make homemade seitan all the time. It is incredibly cheaper than buying the prepackaged stuff. Buy the box of powder- brand name escapes me. I prefer to buy in bulk, but a good coop is hard to find in these parts. One box will yield 6- 10 servings. Start a gallon or so of water boiling in a tall stockpot with maybe a quarter to a half cup of soy sauce- the traditional recipe I was taught adds kombu to the boiling liquor as well. Basic recipe is simple: add water gradually to dry mix, gently kneading. Add any seasoning you desire. For Asian recipes, I tend to keep it simple with a splash of soy and maybe a dusting of dried ginger. For more of an American fake meat effect I add garlic salt, paprika, and maybe some dried herbs. As soon as the dough has bound up and tough to knead it is ready to cook. I usually, if using the entire box, cut the dough in half, as it expands greatly as it cooks. Add to the boiling liquid and reduce to a simmer. The trick to cooking a tender seitan is time, so allow a good hour and a half, if not longer to let it cook. A friend of mine who cooks for Buddhist monks gives his seitan a good three or four hour boil. In the first few minutes of boiling, make sure that it does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Put a lid on the pot, steam aerates the seitan and makes it much more tender. After an hour and a half or two hours the lumps of seitan will have tripled in size and resemble what we endearingly refer to as "monkey brains". Let cool and cube or cut into strips for a stir fry. It is great lightly breaded and fried. A good marinade with plenty of oil can produce a nice bbq recipe.

I've toyed with the idea of making seitan in the past, but felt a bit intimidated by the process. You make it sound rather manageable Jefe. I would (we would?) love to see photos of your process sometime.