Vegan Lemongrass Beef Banh Mi

Instructions

1. First prepare the broth in a large pot over medium heat. Combine all ingredients for the broth and let simmer for 30 minutes to develop the flavour profile. Once fully infused, remove the larger chunks with a slotted spoon.
2. Preheat oven to 350F.

To make the seitan:

1. in a large bowl combine the dry ingredients: gluten, white pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Stir to combine.
2. In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients: water, tamari, marmite, mushroom broth powder/granules (to dissolve into the water), Worcestershire sauce and oil.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir to combine to create a lumpy dough.
4. Once dry ingredients are fully incorporated, turn onto a clean work surface and knead the dough until you have a firmer texture that springs back when you poke it. You'll also find you can tear it slowly when you pull it apart. This will take 5-10 minutes. Feel free to take out your aggression on the dough: punch, karate chop, etc ;)
5. Once dough is firm, roll into a rough log and cut into 1 inch thick slabs. Arrange on a lined baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes until golden. Once baked, remove and place directly into the simmering broth and cook on a slow simmer (not too aggressive but not still, hot water either) for 25-30 minutes.
6. Once the time has elapsed, remove the seitan slabs from the broth into a container or plastic zip-top bag and add about 1/4-1/2 cup of broth on top to keep the seitan moist. Let chill in the fridge overnight (or for at least 8 hours) for the gluten to continue to develop texture and for the seitan to soak up the flavour.

To cook the lemongrass seitan:

1. Once the seitan has set, remove from fridge and slice into thin strips.
2. In a large frying pan, saute shallots in oil until translucent. Add minced garlic and saute until fragrant. Add lemongrass and continue to saute until fragrant (about 1-2 minutes).
3. Add sliced seitan and stir to coat in the aromatics. If you want to add chile flakes, add them here.
4. Add soy sauce and season to taste. Cook the seitan until it browns. You may need to add a few tbsp of water to help deglaze the pan and keep the seitan from drying out.
5. Season with black pepper to taste and set aside.

To assemble the banh mi:

1. Cut an opening in your baguette, then place in oven or toaster oven for about 2-3 min at 350F until just toasted. Remove and fill baguettes with vegan butter, mayo, cucumber, pickled vegetables, and a generous amount of lemongrass beef seitan!
2. Enjoy!