Seitan is the first that comes to mind.
this post was submitted on 30 Sep 2024
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Oooh thanks!
You can grow oyster mushrooms at home, there are nice ready made kits to buy.
Been meaning to try!
Not indigenous, but similarly simple is TVP.
You boil it in vegetable broth, press out a bit of the water and then you can prepare it like meat.
If you can get it in steak shape and sear it in a pan, it does taste quite a lot like steak, basically because of the Maillard reaction making the protein taste fried, and because TVP is similarly chewy.
Doesn't it come on clumps? How do you shape it into a solid?
Where I live, I can buy it in four different sizes/shapes, basically bolognese, meatballs, strips and small steaks.
Pretty sure, you can't shape it yourself, but the smaller sizes are cool, too. I usually don't sear those, but just cook them (often times I'll just throw them into the noodle water when the noodles are mostly done), and then I'll mix noodles and TVP and e.g. tomato sauce all into a big pot.
That way, they taste more like wheat, but you still get something chewy.
Alas, the vegan grocery I use only has it in clumps :/
Soy, seitan, tofu to a lesser degree.
Soy can be bought as chunks, for example, soaked in hot water and then torn to strips. These can be fried in a pan with a little oil and garlic and salt for an amazing taste and texture. If you to be fancy about it, you can probably marinate them after soaking, though the strips will absorb the marinade a little better.
Seitan can be bought as a powdery mixture that you mix with water to, essentially, get a dough that you can knead and cut into pieces of your choosing. An easy marinade could include a barbecue sauce, garlic and spices to your liking to get that classic barbecue meat taste. Fry it in a pan and you're golden.
I'm a sucker for tofu, so I'm usually good just frying it in a pan or panini press, putting it in the oven, or just eating it raw in combination with soups and stuff. But of course you can marinade tofu really well too. Just make sure to drain the water beforehand and maybe add (corn) starch for extra crispiness when frying.
Happy cooking!
Thanks!