Vietnamese Lemongrass Seitan & Crispy Rice

This lemongrass recipe is in collaboration with Tiff of @tifflovestofu and her latest newsletter Tiff’s Table! There are so many great flavors and textures in this recipe and it’s also easily customizable. Plus, it’s great for meal-prep! We really enjoyed shooting this recipe together, and it was a long time coming!

The homemade seitan is cooked with an aromatic blend of shallots, garlic, and lemongrass before being reduced in a sweet & savory sauce. The lemongrass seitan is served on a bed of crispy rice and paired with a Vietnamese sauce/dressing, pickled carrot, crunchy cucumber, tomato, and cilantro. 

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Now on to the recipe!

INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED

SEITAN

WET

• 1/2 cup warm vegetable broth or water
• 1/2-1 tbsp white miso paste (see notes)

DRY

• 3/4 cup vital wheat gluten , 100 g
• 2 tbsp chickpea flour , 20 g
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tbsp mushroom bouillon powder optional, see notes
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper or black pepper

SAUCE

• 2-3 tbsp soy sauce or to taste
• 1-2 tbsp vegan fish sauce to taste
• 1-2 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
• 1/2 to 1 tbsp sugar adjust to desired sweetness
• 3-4 tbsp maple syrup adjust to desired sweetness
• 1 tbsp neutral oil I used avocado oil
• 2-3 tbsp room temperature water

CRISPY RICE

• Neutral cooking oil
• 1-2 cups cooked and cooled medium grain rice jasmine rice works great

FOR STIR-FRYING

• 1 tbsp neutral cooking oil
• 1 shallot finely minced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp minced lemongrass I used frozen

TIFF'S VEGAN NUOC CHAM

• 2 tbsp vegan fish sauce (sub for light soy sauce or Yondu)
• 1 tbsp Chili Garlic Sauce (Huy Fong or Lee Kum Kee)
• 2 tbsp sugar 
• 1juice of a lime
minced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup coconut water
• Salt to taste
• 1 bird’s eye chili pepper roughly chopped (optional for heat)

FOR SERVING

• Sliced cucumber and tomatoes
• Pickled carrots/radish homemade recipe here
• Fresh cilantro and other herbs like mint
• Vegan Nuoc cham or Vietnamese sauce/dressing
• Ginger scallion sauce homemade recipe here
• Fried shallots

WHAT TO DO

PREPARING THE SEITAN + SAUCE

• Dilute the miso paste in warm water/veg broth.
• Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour the broth mixture and mix well until there are no signs of dry flour.
• Transfer the mixture on a flat surface. Knead for 3-4 minutes or until the seitan is bouncy — you can poke it with your finger and it should go back to its original state at once. Cover the seitan.
• Leave the seitan to rest for at least 15 minutes.

• Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Mix everything together in a small bowl and adjust to desired taste.
• Once the seitan has rested, transfer the seitan on a sheet of foil, flatten the seitan or shape it depending on what you like. Wrap the seitan on the foil.
• Steam the seitan for 15-20 mins.

SLICE THE SEITAN

• After steaming, carefully unwrap the seitan and slice into thin 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick pieces.

CRISPY RICE

• Heat an 8-inch non stick pan over medium heat. Spray or add some neutral oil to lightly coat the surface.
• Once hot, add the rice. Using a spatula, press down on the rice to spread across the pan.
• Leave to cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until lightly brown. Carefully flip over and repeat for the other side.

LEMONGRASS SEITAN

• Heat a large skillet or wok over medium heat.
• Add oil. Once hot, add the minced shallot, garlic, and lemongrass. Stir-fry for 1 minute until aromatic. Pour the sauce and allow to come to a gentle simmer.
• Add the sliced seitan and leave to simmer in the sauce for 5-6 minutes until the sauce is absorbed and turns into a thin glaze consistency.

TIFF'S NUOC CHAM

• Mix everything together. Feel free to adjust to your desired taste.

TO SERVE

• Place the crispy rice on a plate or large bowl.
• Add the seitan then serve with sliced cucumber, tomatoes, cilantro, pickled carrot/radish, the vegan nuoc cham or Vietnamese sauce/dressing. Top with ginger scallion sauce and fried shallots, if desired.
• To enjoy, pour a generous amount of the sauce then break apart a small portion of the rice to enjoy with the other components.

MORE RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE

• Japanese Chahan or Fried Rice
• Crispy Eggplant Katsu
• Shredded Tofu 'Bulgogi’
• Maple Hoisin Tofu
• Baked Peanut and Lime Tofu
• Ginger and Scallion Noodles
• Scalloped Potatoes in Creamy Lemon Dill Sauce
• Chili Garlic and Black Bean Eggplant Noodles
• Easy Sweet, Spicy, and Saucy Noodles

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