Seitan, a hearty Asian meat substitute made from wheat gluten, offers high protein and other nutritional benefits. Available commercially, seitan can also be produced at home from whole wheat or white flour.
Making Seitan
Seitan is made by creating a dough out of flour and water, letting it rest for at least 30 minutes and then rinsing the starch out by kneading the dough under running water. The raw dough is known as gluten, and once it is cooked--usually by simmering it in a soy sauce broth--it is known as seitan. Commercial varieties may have oil or other ingredients added to improve flavor and texture.
Calories
Since the process of making seitan varies from company to company, as well as from person to person if you make your own, the caloric content varies. Seitan averages about 160 calories for a half-cup serving.
Fat
The average amount of fat in a half cup of seitan is about 2 grams, or 3 percent of the recommended daily allowance.
Carbohydrates
Homemade seitan made from whole wheat flour averages about 10 grams of carbs, or 3 percent of the recommended daily allowance, per half-cup serving. Commercial brands may have much less.
Protein
Seitan contains about 26 grams of protein per half cup. Depending upon your diet, this can be as much as 50 percent of your recommend allowance.
Minerals
When it's made from iron-rich whole wheat flour, seitan is high in iron. The average for gluten made from whole wheat flour is about 3.6 mg of iron per half-cup serving, or 20 percent of the recommended daily allowance. Commercial brands can contain as little as 1 percent to 2 percent of the recommended daily allowance.
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