Now not being a fan of the shop bought 'fake meat' products I decided to try my own Seitan Burgers.

I had a bag of Vital Wheat Gluten in the garage for when I was feeling over adventurous previously, I can't remember what I was thinking of making...I think it was potentially Vegan Steaks...

Anyway, the bag of Wheat Gluten was feeling left out so this happened.

It is a bit of a labour of love but well worth it. The burgers are so juicy and chewy and above all tasty. 

And once you get this recipe down you can play with it until your hearts content. I have different smoke flavours to try, I may try shallot through the burger or wrapping it round cheeze for a melty middle. Although that may not survive the steaming process but that's what experiments are for!

Serve this with all your favourite burger toppings. I also have Big Mac Sauce recipe I will post up soon that went really well with this.

Enjoy!

Makes 6 burgers

Special Equipment - Food Processor, Steamer or Instant Pot

Ingredients:

200g raw beetroot, peeled and cut into chunks

100g cooked lentils (I used green lentils)

60ml soy sauce

3 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 ½ teaspoon onion powder

1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon liquid smoke

¼ teaspoon black pepper

180g vital wheat gluten

Instructions:

Add all of the ingredients except for the vital wheat gluten to a food processor. 

Pulse, stopping to scrape the sides until everything is mixed together into a mush.

Add the vital wheat gluten and pulse, stopping to scrape the sides as needed until combined into a crumbly dough. Divide the dough into six and use your hands to form six burger patties. 

Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a boil. (or use your steamer or Instant Pot).

Once boiling, add the burger patties to the steamer basket, cover and steam for 25 minutes. The burgers can become funny shapes if they are piled on top of each other so steam the patties in a single layer without overlapping.

Once steamed, the burgers will look kind of funny at this stage, but don't worry! Allow the burgers to cool completely, then cover and chill in the fridge overnight before serving. 

Chilling overnight ensures the best burger texture. They will keep fresh when covered in the fridge for up to 5 days, or they freeze for up to 3 months.

To serve, once the patties are steamed and chilled overnight, you can basically treat them as if they were raw burger patties. Pan-fry them or grill them for a couple minutes per side until browned and heated through. .