Seitan and Mushroom Goulash Recipe

Dunja says: “Nothing can beat a plate of hot goulash and creamy gnocchi on a chilly day to comfort and nourish my body and soul.”

Serves

2–3

Ingredients

For the seitan

290g/2 cups seitan, cut into 2-cm x 2-cm/ 3⁄4-in. x 3⁄4-in. Cubes
4 teaspoons tamari
1 teaspoon oil of your choosing (aromatic oils like olive or dark sesame work best)
2 teaspoons water
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (optional)
1 teaspoon rosemary
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Handful of unbleached plain/all-purpose flour or millet flour, for frying
200g/1 cup sunflower oil, for deep-frying

For the goulash

10g/½ cup dried porcini mushrooms or other dried mushrooms
375ml/1. cups water
5 tablespoons sunflower or sesame oil
160g/1¼ cups onions, diced
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon ground dried rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
⅛–¼ teaspoon crushed black pepper or chilli powder
Tamari, to taste
80 ml/⅓ cup cooking wine
1½ teaspoons kuzu, arrowroot powder or cornflour/cornstarch
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or spring onion/scallion, to garnish
Cooked brown rice to serve

Method

Place the seitan cubes on a deep plate. Put all ingredients for the marinade in a small jar, close and shake. Pour this mixture over the cubes and mix well so that all the pieces are covered in the marinade. If the marinade turns out overly thick, add 1–2 teaspoons of extra water, just to make it runny enough to cover all the cubes. Cover with clingfilm/plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. You can also do this a day in advance and let it sit in the fridge.

Put a little flour in a bowl and roll each cube separately in it. Be sure to coat the sides of each the cube with flour, but be careful not to wipe the marinade off. It’s also important that the layer of flour is thin, so remove any excess by shaking each cube between the palms of your hands.

Layer a tray or a big plate with paper towels, which you’ll use to drain the seitan after frying it. I use a small pot and deep-fry the prepared cubes in a few batches, but if you want you can fry them all at once in a big pan – just make sure you don’t overcrowd it! The oil is ready for frying when it starts bubbling once you drop a piece of seitan in it. Fry the cubes for 1–2 minutes, until golden brown, then drain on the paper towels.

Soak the mushrooms in the water for 30 minutes. Drain them, but save the soaking water for later. Next, chop the mushrooms.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan/skillet and sauté the onions with the salt over a medium heat until soft. Add all the herbs and spices and the tamari and stir until everything is slightly browned.

Add the mushrooms and stir for another 1–2 minutes. Pour in the wine and let it simmer for another minute. Now stir in the fried seitan cubes, and then add the soaking water and cover. Let the mixture boil, and then stir again, before lowering to a medium heat for 5–10 minutes.

At the end, dilute the kuzu, arrowroot powder or cornflour/cornstarch in a little cold water and add it to the goulash, stirring until it boils again.

Serve over your choice of side, sprinkled with the chopped parsley or spring onion/scallion.

Extracted from My Vegan Kitchen by Dunja Gulin, published by Ryland Peters & Small. Photography by William Reavell © Ryland Peters & Small

Read the Food articles archive...