Bethany's Vegan Kitchen

Let me start by stating that this recipe replicates tinned corned beef, which is minced beef preserved with salt and then tinned. It’s not trying to mimic the other kind of corned beef, where the beef is cured with salt, sugar and spices. This seitan replicates the colour, texture and flavour of tinned corned beef, but it’s much lower in fat and completely plant-based. I have a recipe for corned beef hash that used seitan, but I wanted to make a proper substitute for corned beef that really looked the part. So my first step was to take my existing beef seitan recipe and tweak it a little, to create vegan corned beef. I was really happy with how it turned out, and it made an epic vegan corned beef hash too! That recipe is coming next. Anyway, onto the corned beef!

Serves; Roughly 650g of vegan corned beef Cook time; One hour

You’ll need;

1. 200g vital wheat gluten
2. 40g chickpea flour
3. 30g nutritional yeast
4. One tablespoon of onion granules
5. One tablespoon of garlic powder
6. Half a tablespoon of rosemary
7. Half a tablespoon of thyme
8. One meat free beef style Oxo cube
9. One vegetable Oxo cube
10. Two tablespoons of soy sauce
11. 100g roasted beetroot
12. 250ml cold water
13. One teaspoon of salt

Method;

• Start by sifting the chickpea flour into a large mixing bowl. Then add in the nutritional yeast and vital wheat gluten
• Next, add the onion, garlic and herbs into the mixing bowl and stir them through until well combined
• Into a jug add the Oxo cubes, soy sauce, beetroot, water and salt. Blend until completely smooth, then pour them into the mixing bowl
• Mix until a dough starts to come together, then knead the dough for three or four minutes
• Once you’re ready to cook the seitan, lay out some foil, PVC-free cling film or baking paper, then place the dough on it. Wrap the dough then securely tie off the ends
• Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, then place the wrapped dough into the pan. Replace the lid and then reduce the heat to low, cook for one hour

Leave the seitan to cool to room temperature before unwrapping and slicing