FOOD TREND: DIRTY VEGAN
This new wave takes fast-food classics and gives them a plant-based makeover. In London, What the Pitta does a doner to rival any late-night kebab shop offering, and the quirkily named Temple of Seitan turns the wheat-based meat alternative into addictive vegan burgers and ‘wings’.
Ingredients
- vegetable oil 2 tbsp
- seitan 400g, sliced into thin strips (see notes below)
- ground cumin 2 tsp
- smoked paprika 2 tsp
- cayenne pepper ½ tsp
- dried oregano 1 tsp
- garlic granules 1 tbsp
- lemon ½, juiced
PITTAS
- dried active yeast 1 tsp
- caster sugar 1 tsp
- almond milk 75ml, warmed
- olive oil 1 tbsp
- sea salt flakes ¾ tsp
- strong white bread flour 225g, plus extra for dusting
GARLIC ‘MAYO’
- silken tofu 200g
- garlic 2 cloves, crushed
- flat-leaf parsley ½ a small bunch, finely chopped
- caster sugar 1 tsp
TO SERVE
- white cabbage 100g, thinly sliced
- red onion ½, thinly sliced
- plum tomato 1, sliced
- cucumber ¼, sliced
- pickled chillies
- pickled red cabbage
- chilli sauce
- lemon 1, cut into wedges, to serve
Method
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Step 1
To make the pittas, whisk the yeast, sugar and 75ml of warm water, then leave to sit for 15 minutes. Add the warm almond milk, olive oil, salt and 1/2 the flour, and mix well until combined. Add the rest of the flour and bring together as a dough, then knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding a little more flour if too sticky. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave for 1-1½ hours or until doubled in size.
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Step 2
For the garlic mayo, put all of the ingredients into a blender with some seasoning and whizz until smooth.
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Step 3
Tip the dough out, knead briefly to knock the air out, then divide into 4. Roll each portion out into a rough round, about 18cm long, on a lightly floured worksurface. Heat a large, heavy non-stick frying pan. Add 1 or 2 pittas and cook until bubbles begin to form on the surface and the bottom is golden brown, then flip and cook the other side. Keep warm under foil while you make the rest.
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Step 4
Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan and add the seitan. Fry for 5 minutes until browned, then tip in all of the spices and cook for a further minute, stirring regularly. Squeeze in the lemon juice and season.
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Step 5
Serve the seitan in a pitta with your choice of fillings, loads of garlic mayo and chilli sauce.
Seitan, also known as wheat gluten, is a meat alternative made from wheat. Look for the ready-made vac-packed version that is sold in one piece rather than the stuff sold in chunks in jars – we used Viana organic seitan, which is available to buy on amazon.co.uk.
Try one of our other vegan recipes here...
Nutritional Information
- Kcals 440
- Fat 11.8g
- Saturates 1.2g
- Carbs 51.8g
- Sugars 4.2g
- Fibre 3.9g
- Protein 29.6g
- Salt 2.9g
