This Simple TikTok Seitan Recipe Uses Only 2 Ingredients

Seitan has been around for hundreds of years, according to Smithsonian Magazine. Its origin story is the result of vegetarian Buddhist monks' desire to create a meatless alternative for sustenance, and create one they did. Seitan is very different from the likes of tofu or other faux meats that are often at the center of complaints and debate when it comes to texture and taste (via Quora). No, in fact, if seitan were part of the Marvel Universe, it would most closely resemble Loki, the God of Mischief, with the ability to seamlessly transform himself into, well, pretty much anything. Similarly, seitan is such a tricky trickster, it can fool both the meat lover and those who eschew animal protein into believing they are eating just that, but rest assured seitan is anything but real meat.

Seitan has become so ubiquitous that you can buy seitan-based foods everywhere from Whole Foods to Target; however, if you want to ensure you are avoiding a processed version, you can also make it yourself in the comfort of your own kitchen. Per The Spruce Eats, seitan is simply a combination of water and flour that has been made into a dough and rinsed repeatedly in a water bath until all the starch has been washed away, leaving you with a "high protein gluten" that mimics meat and all of its savory goodness. The best part is, thanks to TikTok, it's actually possible to make your own seitan at home with just two ingredients.

But despite the minimal ingredients needed to make seitan, it apparently is not the easiest food to undertake. Still Tik Tok's The Viet Vegan is demonstrating for other TikTokers that making this meat-free staple that only requires two ingredients —  a little flour, a little water, and a whole lot of elbow grease — can be done at home, and done well, to appease both your picky vegetarian or for those who are part of the meatless Mondays movement. 

According to The Viet Vegan's blog, she uses a washed flour method to make her seitan rather than the traditional vital wheat gluten. The blogger shares that the washed flour technique ensures you won't have what can be an overwhelming "bitter gluten-flour" taste. She also notes that while the intensive washing of the mixed dough looks difficult, it's lots of fun and the taste is absolutely worth the work. The end result produces a seitan that resembles pulled chicken and is delicious to eat. What we love besides the taste is that the process is almost like a science experiment, and The Viet Vegan recommends holding on to the washed away starch for recipes like noodles.