PUBLISHED ONMarch 22, 2021 8:18 AMByKimberly Anne LimYou can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, or so the saying goes. According to TikTok, though, you can make 'chicken' with just two ingredients — flour and water.
Of course, this meat substitute that's been taking the video platform by storm isn't groundbreaking by any means.
It's really just hydrated gluten, also known as seitan. Seitan originated in China some 1,500 years ago and is also widely consumed in other Asian countries, including Japan and Korea.
But thanks to a TikTok by @futurelettuce, which has been viewed over 10 million times, it's become the recipe du jour.
If you're up for the challenge and have got time to spare, here's how to do it.
1. Mix flour and water in a 2:1 ratio to make your dough. I used two cups of flour and one cup of water, which makes a single patty.
2. Knead the dough till it's smooth. It took me about 25 minutes to knead by hand, but it will probably be much quicker if you have a stand mixer.
Be careful not to over-knead the dough. If it starts feeling wet, that's a sign that you've kneaded too much and your gluten is starting to break down.
3. Cover the bowl with a cloth or aluminium foil and let the dough rest for an hour.
4. Knead the dough under water. This step washes out the starch from the dough, leaving behind the gluten that has formed. Do this till the water is almost clear. You'll be left with a squishy, stringy ball that does not resemble meat in the slightest, but just trust the process.
5. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Be generous with the seasoning as gluten itself doesn't have much flavour.
6. Massage the seasoning into the dough evenly and let it rest again for another hour. Yes, that's a second hour of waiting.
7. Twist and knot the dough. This is what gives it that meat-like texture. You'll want to really stretch out your dough for the best results.
8. Fry until both sides are golden brown (I accidentally fried mine for too long).
9. Remove the excess oil, add a couple cups of vegetable stock and simmer for 45 minutes.
After a good three hours of work, I was left with a slab of 'chicken' roughly the size of my palm.
It was time for the moment of truth. Does it shred like chicken? I pulled the patty apart and was pleasantly surprised to find that it did have a remarkably sinewy and meaty texture.
As for the taste, the patty was fragrant and juicy, almost like a typical store-bought chicken patty.
I even attempted to fool my family with a blind taste test, but they caught on that it wasn't real meat thanks to the extra chewiness and slight rubbery texture.
While it was a fun and relatively simple experiment with ingredients I already had, I doubt I'll be making this again. The main reason? It just isn't worth the hassle, in my opinion.
This isn't to knock on seitan, which is high in protein, low in carbohydrates, and all around a great meat substitute.
But if you're looking to try it, picking up the pre-made version at a supermarket will save you hours of time and effort.
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