Vital wheat gluten ... much more appetizing than the name suggests

I’ve never been one for fake meat. It’s expensive, heavily packaged and I often find it overly chewy/foamy/salty and would rather get my protein in legume form. However, I recently frequented a local restaurant that offers seitan “cutlets” that are crazily close in taste and mouthfeel to actual lean meat! None of that bubble-filled chewy stuff I’m used to eating on my bahn mi. 
    At a friend’s urging, I set out to make seitan myself, and found it’s super easy! Seitan is basically made of flour that has been reduced to remove most of the starch. You’re left with gluten flour, a high-protien stuff that’s sometimes used to make breads denser. In seitan, it creates a stretchy, sinewy dough that can be cut and stretched into cutlet-sized pieces, steamed and voila! You have a glutonous mass much like sausage or steaks! 
    I tried it yesterday, then put the cutlets in a roast with some potatoes, onions, garlic, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, tomatos and various spices. Rave reviews abounded from both vegetarians and meat-eaters at the table. 
     You can get wheat gluten flour (also labeled as “vital wheat gluten”) from the bulk section of your health food store. Bob’s Red Mill also sells it pre-packaged.
    Here’s the recipe I used, altering it with italian spices instead of the traditional ginger and garlic.

Quick Homemade Seitan (pronounced say-tahn)
(Makes 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pounds or 2 to 2-1/2 cups)

2 cups gluten flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1-1/4 cups water or vegetable stock
3 Tablespoons lite tamari, Braggs liquid amino acids, or soy sauce
1-3 teaspoons toasted sesame oil (optional)

Add garlic powder and ginger to flour and stir. Mix liquids together and add to flour mixture all at once. Mix vigorously with a fork. When it forms a stiff dough knead it 10 to 15 times.

Let the dough rest 2 to 5 minutes, then knead it a few more times. Let it rest another 15 minutes before proceeding.

Cut gluten into 6 to 8 pieces and stretch into thin cutlets. Simmer in broth for 30 to 60 minutes.

Broth:
4 cups water
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
3-inch piece of kombu (a type of seaweed)
3-4 slices ginger (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring broth to a boil. Add cutlets one at a time. Reduce heat to barely simmer when saucepan is covered. Seitan may be used, refrigerated, or frozen at this point.