Vegan Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Vegan Seitan Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce: Make your own delicious Asian take-out at home with these Vegan Seitan Satay! While the satays are grilling make a quick pickled salad and serve on a bed of brown rice. 

When my hubby tasted these succulent seitan satay for the first time he closed his eyes and muttered ”you captured it, you captured the taste and texture I remember”. Serve them with my delicious easy-peasy peanut sauce (that also doubles as the marinade) and you have an appetizer your guests will rave about.

Vegan Seitan Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

If magic was present, it moved under the skin of the world, beneath the ability of human eyes to catch sight of it.”

 -Gregory Maguire

My mother grew up on a chicken farm in Denmark. In her 50s she became vegetarian and then vegan and gave up many of the foods she loved like Feta Cheese and her all time favorite take-out: Chicken Satay (which we called chicken-on-a-stick). I suppose we should call this Seitan-on-a-Stick.

But I don’t have time to make my own seitan!

I’ve got you covered. This recipe works with store bought seitan as well. Just skip to the part where you thread the seitan onto skewers, marinate and grill it.

If you do make your own seitan then you can make the initial seitan in advance and keep it in the refrigerator until the day you want to serve it. Slice off and marinate only as much as you want to make that day and grill while your guests drink a glass of wine. My seitan Bacon recipe works the same way. Just slice off and fry up the slices you want at any given meal.

Vegan Seitan Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Summer gathered in the weather, the wind had the proper touch, the breathing of the world was long and warm and slow. You had only to rise, lean from your window, and know that this indeed was the first real time of freedom and living; this was the first morning of summer. 

–Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine

Why should I make my own Seitan?

Firstly it is incredibly delicious, much tastier then store bought. You can customize the taste and texture to suit your own palate.

Secondly it freezes beautifully so you’ll always have some on hand.

Thirdly and perhaps most importantly it is Way cheaper the store bought. Pennies on the dollar I’d say!

Don’t I need special ingredients to make my own seitan?

Yes and no. You need a bag of Vital Wheat Gluten. I find it at my local Whole Foods, Stop and Shop, Trader Joe’s. It really isn’t a specialty item anymore. Any place that sells brown rice and tofu probably sells wheat gluten as well.

Tip : Look for vital wheat gluten in the baking section of supermarkets with the specialty flours or in asian markets. You can also stock up on it through Amazon. It will last for a year in the cupboard.

It was the face of spring, it was the face of summer, it was the warmness of clover breath. Pomegranate glowed in her lips, and the noon sky in her eyes.

-Ray Bradbury

Mushroom Satay with Mango Dipping Sauce

Bbq Vegan Ribs

Check out my new Aquafaba page!  For tips, tricks and to see all of my Aquafabulous recipes.

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Seitan Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

Total Time

50 mins

 

These succulent savory spears (say that 3 times fast) are rich with umami flavors. Serve them on a hot summer night with a cooling shredded salad and soothing brown or black rice and you will have a meal that is perfectly balanced in flavors and textures. You will need wooden skewers for this recipe. I used the brine from my Rainbow Pickles to make the shredded salad you see in the photos.

Course: Appetizer, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

Seitan Buy ready made seitan and drain it or use my recipe below

• 1 package seitan or make the recipe below
• 2 chipotle chiles in adobo
• 4 tbsp peanutbutter
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 3 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 cups vital wheat gluten
• 1 1/2 cups veggie broth

Spicy Peanut Sauce

• 1 cup peanutbutter crunchy
• 1 1 inch slice of ginger root
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 squirts Sriracha, to taste really, you know your own palate. Right?
• 4 tbsp soy sauce (dark if you have)
• 2-3 leaves Kaffir Lime Leaves optional
• 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar well stirred , from a can
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 2 tsp sesame oil optional
• 1/3 cup lime juice I used 3 limes
• 1/2 cup water or more to thin to the crrect consistancy

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

2. In a blender place chipotles, nut butter, soy sauce, liquid smoke, nutritional yeast, and broth. Blend until smooth.

3. In a large bowl place the vital wheat gluten, smoked paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. Stir to combine.

4. Pour in the liquid from the blender to the dry ingredients and stir until a loose dough forms. It will seem terribly mushy, fear not. 

5. Roll up your sleeves and knead the dough with your hands for 3-4minutes to activate the gluten.

6. Form the dough into a ball and press and shape the dough into a rectangle about 8"x"6 and 1 1/2 inches tall.  

7. Lightly grease a baking pan and place the rolled out seitan rectangle in it. Bake in the center of the oven for 25 minutes and remove from oven.

8. Place all of the peanut sauce ingredients into your blender.

9. Blend until you have a smooth paste. Taste your peanut sauce and make sure it has the right balance for you of salty and sweet. Adjust to your palate but keep in mind the garlic and or ginger will keep growing in strength.

10. Slice your seitan into thinnish strips. See the photo in the body of the post for reference. Thread the strips onto the wooden skewers. 

11. In a shallow bowl, I used a pie pan, place half the peanut sauce and coat the seitan strips with marinade. Honestly I slathered it on with my hands like I do when you apply sunscreen. Time out. You really need to make sunscreen part of your daily routine. Really! 

12. Marinate your satay for 45 minutes or you can place the skewered seitan in the fridge covered till tomorrow if you'd like. If I still had a grill pan I would use that, but alas I no longer have one...The broiler works just great though.

13. At this point you can wrap them up and take them to your next Bbq and finish them on the grill, about five minutes each side or finish them in the oven (instructions below),

14. Turn on your broiler (oven grill) to high. Lightly grease a sheet pan. Place your stay skewers on the pan and if you are broiling (grilling) place a piece of aluminum foil over the exposed ends of the wooden skewers to keep them from charring.

15. Place your pan in the oven broil (grill) about 6 minutes. Keep checking and when you have a lovely deep golden color and a tiny bit of char about the edges then remove form the oven. 

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