Vegetable stew with tofu and seitan

• 1 coconut, cut a whole coconut in half using a heavy object, save the coconut water to for the stew>
• 1 pineapple, cut into eight, length wise, slice off the peel, then slice each section into 1 inch thick
• 1 pound carrots, cut a whole carrot in half length wise, then cut into 2 inch long
• 1 pound red radish, cut in half
• 1 packet firm Nasoya tofu, cut into 2 inch square
• 20 shiitake dry mushroom stems, soaked in warm water
• 2 tablepoons canola oil
• 3 slices ginger, minced
• 4 table spoons sea salt
• 8 table spoons molasses
• 1 cup vital wheat gluten

1. Soak tofu in oil, bake to brown.

2. Use an 8 quart pot, add oil, add ginger to brown.
3. Stir in mushrooms, carrots, radish, pineapple, tofu.
4. Add salt and molasses, stir 5 minutes.
5. Add water and coconut water just to cover the veggies.
6. Pour vital wheat gluten to a big bowl, add 3/4 cup of broth from the pot, mix well.
7. Shape seitan into a roll, let it rest for 15 minutes, while waiting, remove coconut meat from shell, cut into small pieces, add to the pot.
8. Turn stove to medium low so that water in the pot just gets to the boiling point, ready to add seitan (water can't be too boiled or your seitan will be hard, I heard many compaints about how hard their seitan was).
9. Pull seitan from seitan roll to make a thin layer, roll as you pull until to the size of a thumb, cut it off from the seitan roll, add to the pot.
10. Continue to do so for the rest of the seitan roll.
11. Transfer to a slow cooker, cook in low overnight about 6 hours.
12. Served with rice, pickled bean sprouts, pickled cucumbers, pickled mustard greens (dua cai), or Vietnamese coleslaw.

Happy Valentine's day :)
Namo A Mi Two Fwo

Seitan balls

Seitan balls are used in place of beef balls in rice noodle soup (pho chay).

Seitan:
. 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
. 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast

. 1 tablespoon soy sauce
. 7 tablespoons water (1/2 cup minus 1 tablespoon) or broth (the same broth for rice noodle soup can be used)

1. Mix soy sauce and broth together.

2. In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.

3. Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients.

4. Mix well, kneed with your hands for 2 minutes.

5. Shape seitan into a roll, let it rest for 15 minutes.

6. In a 4-pot, bring 2 quarts of water or broth (the same broth for rice noodle soup can be used) to a boil, reduce heat to low medium.

7. From 1 end the seitan roll, pull out a thin slice of seitan, as you pull, roll the slice to together. When it gets to size of a thumb, cut it off from the seitan roll. Fold the 2 ends together to make a ball. Drop the ball into the broth pot. (The broth should be just to the boiling point or the seitan will be hard, reduce the heat or add a little more water if the broth is over boiled.)

8. Repeat the above step for the rest of the seitan roll.

9. Simmer uncovered for about 2 hours or transfer to the slow cooker and cook on low overnight for about 6 hours.

Seitan stew (bò kho chay)

I finally learned how to make seitan to have the right taste and texture. I have tried many ways: steam, bake, boil; they turned out to be okay, but the best way is to cook it in the crock pot overnight. This is from a very famous Vietnamese dish, beef stew, that I used seitan to substitue for the beef.

Makes 4 servings

3 lemon grass stalks, use the handle of a knife or something heavy to crust each stalk, cut into inch-long
6 bay leaves
6 anise stars
2 cloves
10 pepper corns
1 4-inch long cinnamon stick

1 m table spoon canola oil

4 carrot, cut in half length wise then cut into 2-inch long
4 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch long
1 red bell pepper, cut into 2x2 inch pieces

1 gallon water
5 table spoons sugar or equivalent sweetener
2 1/2 table spoon salt
3 oz tomato paste

1 box of 10 oz vital wheat gluten (can be bought in whole foods in flour section)

1. Toast all the spices on medium in the toaster oven.
2. In a 6 quart pot, add oil, then add spices, stir until fragrant.
3. Add carrots, saute 1 minute.
4. Add celery, saute 1 minute.
5. Add pepper, saute 1 minute.
6. Add salt, sugar, stir well for about 2 minutes.
7. Add water, bring to a boil, transfer to a crock pot cook on high.
8. Take about 2 1/2 cups of the broth above, cool to touch to make seitan.
9. In a big bowl, add gluten flour, pour the broth to the bowl, mix well. Make into a roll, let it rest for 30 minutes.
10. From one end of the seitan roll, pull out a very thin piece, roll it to size of a thumb, cut it off from the seitan roll, add to the crock pot. Continue to do so for the rest of the seitan. Stir frequently.
11. Add tomato paste, cook on low over night or 8 hours.
12. Served with toasted French bread or with flat rice noodles, bean sprouts and basil leaves.